Southern Favorites
In case you didn’t see my story today, it’s about Sara Foster’s new book. Unlike her other three books, this one actually focuses on Southern food. It even has a lot of her grandmother’s recipes, and a whole chapter on preserving.
Here’s Foster’s grandmother’s recipe, which appears in “Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen.”
Granny Foster’s Sunday Fried Chicken
Makes 4 servings.
The secret to her grandmother’s fried chicken, Foster said, “is the overnight brine of water, salt and spices that drives extra moisture and flavor into the meat, where they are locked in during the cooking process.”
1 3- to 3½-pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces
3 tablespoons sea salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
Pinch of ground cayenne pepper
Crisco vegetable shortening or canola oil for frying
Fried Chicken Gravy, optional (See Note)
1. Place the chicken in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Add 2 tablespoons of the salt and the sugar, vinegar, bay leaves and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. When ready to cook the chicken, place the buttermilk in a shallow bowl and transfer the chicken from the brine to the buttermilk.
3. Place the flour, remaining 1 tablespoon of salt, the black pepper and cayenne in a separate large shallow bowl or plastic bag and stir or shake to mix.
4. Melt the shortening about ½-inch deep in a large, cast-iron skillet and place over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches between 350 and 375 degrees. The melted shortening should be deep enough to submerge the chicken about halfway; the level of the shortening will rise slightly when you add the chicken.
5. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and dredge or shake in the flour mixture, one piece at a time, to coat evenly on all sides, beginning with the large pieces. Shake off any excess flour.
6. Place the chicken, skin side down, in the hot shortening, reduce the heat to medium, and fry until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Check the pieces to make sure they are not browning too quickly; if so, reduce the heat or turn the pieces. Turn the chicken and fry the other side until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. The chicken is done when the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with the tip of a small knife and an internal thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads about 165 degrees. The chicken should cook for a total of 30 to 35 minutes.
7. Line a platter with a brown paper bag and transfer the chicken to the platter to drain. Season with additional salt and pepper and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving warm with gravy, if desired.
Note: To make the gravy, after the chicken is done, remove all but 2 tablespoons of the shortening from the skillet. Leave the brown bits in the bottom. Add 3 tablespoons flour and cook, stirring constantly over medium heat until the flour is light brown, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook, stirring until the gravy is thick, 2 to 3 minutes.
Recipe adapted from “Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen” (Random House).
