Country Fried Chicken

Church’s Chicken closed down in our area and I miss their chicken.  I tried to get as close to their fried chicken as much as possible and so I came up with this recipe.  It is still under improvement but I cannot cook fried chicken everyday.  So far, my husband and other guests who have tried them say that they are very good but nobody has said they are the same as Church’s but they liked them anyway.  

Some people marinate the chicken in buttermilk but I always forget to buy it. I came up with an idea of using Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Mix as an alternate. It is mixed with powdered buttermilk and the result is awesome. Try it!

• A few pieces of your preferred chicken parts

• Marinate in brine for at least one hour or more until ready to use.  I used ¼ cup kosher salt or pickling salt to 1 quart water.

• Let it come to room temperature when ready to cook. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

• Mix in a bowl:
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 heaping tsp. Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Mix
  • 1/4 cup flour

• In a plastic bag or a large bowl, mix:
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder (optional)
  • 1 TBSP. Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Mix 

• Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture then dredge in the flour mixture making sure they are coated very well. Transfer each piece on a tray until ready to fry.  Let them sit for a while to let the flour get moistened with the milk and egg mixture and adheres to the chicken while you are heating your frying oil. 

For extra crispy chicken, add 1/4 cup cornstarch to the flour mixture.

• Heat about 2″ to 3” deep of oil in a deep and heavy pot or a deep fryer to about 360°F.  Make sure the oil will not overflow when you put the chicken in. Carefully place the chicken pieces in the hot oil.  Do them in batches to not crowd them and make sure they are submerged in oil. You can turn them over every so often if they are not totally submerged but I do it anyway.