I’m going to be having a party in the near future, and I’m wanting to serve fried chicken. Chicken strips, actually, since they’re more party friendly than actual chicken pieces.
The strips will be deep fried, probably in a turkey fryer. If anyone’s got a recipe with a decent amount of spice that they’ve tried for deep frying, I’d love to hear it. I’m planning on putting together a flour mixture with salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic powder. Since I’ve only done this a couple of times with fair to dismal results, any overall hints on deep frying chicken would be appreciated.
I’m wanting to make a few sauces for dipping/dredging the chicken. I’m thinking one will be a buffalo sauce, but for the other, I’m wanting to try something different. A while back, on Food Network’s The Best Of, they featured a type of honey sauce. The cook prepared the sauce and then dunked the pieces of chicken in. I do remeber it had cinnamon and fresh honey in it, but I can’t remember much else. Anyone ever tried making a sauce along these lines? I’m of the opinion the honey would be a little too cloying for my tastes, so I was considering possibly adding some soy sauce or worcestershire sauce to cut the sweetness a little. Perhaps some garlic and/or chili pepper? Also, I’m curious about using honey as the sauce base as far as texture goes-does heating the honey thin it out much? As intriguing as this idea sounds, I don’t think big gooey gobs of sweetened chicken is something I’d want to serve.
Soak the chicken in buttermilk for about 8-10 hours, covered in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature. Drain well, then roll in your flour mixture, knocking off the excess. If you can’t get lard, then use a high-quality vegetable oil (such as canola) for frying. Since you are making strips, use only about an inch of oil in the pan. You can add a stick of unsalted butter if you like, but will need to de-foam it as the oil heats.
Heat the oil to about 375 degrees F. and KEEP IT THERE (heat that is too high or too low is generally the cause of frying failure). Either use an electric skillet or a thermometer. Shallow fry the chicken until brown and done. A whole skinless, boneless breast will only take about 10 minutes on a side, so strips will take very little time.
HAMSTERED AGAIN! Notice how my post is missing? Notice how no one mentions satay sauce in any of the posts above? I’d really like to know what is going on. Evil hamsters are afoot around here. This will be third time I have had to post this.
For fun, consider silking some of the chicken strips.
How To “Silk” Meats
The process of “silking” meats gives them a slightly crunchy and chewy texture similar to what you have on your sweet and sour type dishes.
[ul][li] For every pound of meat use two egg whites and 1/4 cup cornstarch.[/li]
[li] Cut the meat into bite size chunks.[/li]
[li] Place the cornstarch and meat in a bag.[/li]
[li] Shake until completely coated.[/li]
[li] For the best results hand dredge each piece (very time consuming).[/li]
[li] Beat the egg whites in a medium size bowl.[/li]
[li] Add the meat slowly and stir.[/li]
[li] Make sure that the meat is wetted by the egg whites.[/li]
[li] Let the coated meat rest for at least 15 minutes.[/li]
[li] When frying the meat, add to the oil slowly to prevent cooling.[/li]
[li] Meat is done when a crisp coating is obtained.[/ul]Here are some suggestions for sauces:[ul] Thai satay peanut sauce[/li]
[li] Teriyaki glaze[/li]
[li] Soy sauce with fire oil, garlic and scallions[/li]
[li] Sweet and sour sauce[/li]
[li] Ponzu with ginger, sesame oil and shallots[/ul][/li]For a special flavor, roll the silked strips in raw sesame seeds before frying them. It will give the chicken an attractive toasted crust.
Here’s a satay sauce recipe from this site. It looks a bit Anglicized, carnivorousplant. I’ll see if I can’t find you something better. Satay Sauce
5 cm / 2 inch slice of fresh ginger or ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup of peanut butter
4 teaspoons of soy sauce
4 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
½ cup of plain unsweetened yoghurt
salt and freshly ground pepper
Drop the fresh ginger into a liquidiser or blender with the motor running. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce and lemon juice. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as required. Add the yoghurt and blend. Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and chill (the mixture will keep for one week when refrigerated).
(Recipe makes about one cup of sauce which is sufficient for around four people)
Here’s a satay sauce recipe from this site. It looks a bit Anglicized, carnivorousplant. I’ll see if I can’t find you something better. Satay Sauce
5 cm / 2 inch slice of fresh ginger or ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup of peanut butter
4 teaspoons of soy sauce
4 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
½ cup of plain unsweetened yoghurt
salt and freshly ground pepper
Drop the fresh ginger into a liquidiser or blender with the motor running. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce and lemon juice. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as required. Add the yoghurt and blend. Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and chill (the mixture will keep for one week when refrigerated).
(Recipe makes about one cup of sauce which is sufficient for around four people)
The deal I remember is that he had just invented mayonaisse or bernaisse or something and Napoleon asked for a doggie bag. The cook went into his tent and shot himself.
I don’t have the ratios, so you’ll just have to experiment a bit to get it to your liking, but the restaurant chain Copeland’s of New Orleans serves a sauce with their chicken strips that they call “Tiger Sauce.” It’s simply honey mustard salad dressing mixed with a bit of horseradish, it’s also amazingly good and addictive.
I’d recommend a good horseradish sauce as well. Mix equal parts of Mayonnaise and sour cream together in very small increments (to avoid lumping) and then add prepared horseradish to taste. (DO NOT use “creamy style” horseradish on pain of IQ lowering.)
For the wusses, be sure to have a good quality seafood sauce around. Crosse & Blackwell’s is highly recommended.
Another simple recipe is one part spicy mustard to five parts Mayonnaise (sour cream optional). In the same vein, one part Heinz’s ketchup to six or eight parts Mayonnaise (you can toss in some sweet pickle relish) is nice for the meek at heart.
Go to a restaurant supply house and get those neat little “souffle cups” made of pleated paper. Use a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip to pipe out florals of individual sauces (the thick sour cream based ones). Serve each guest an array of assorted dipping sauces on small Chinette™ plates. Round out the colorful assortment by filling one cup on each plate with pepperoncinni, olives and grape tomatoes.
