On 12/6/2013 11:22 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> Of course I don't deep fry anything. But this was interesting to me.
>
> While I was waiting to get the oil and filters changed in my car I sat
> outside enjoying the decidedly sunny non-holiday weather (84°F). There
> was an elderly gentleman sitting outside. I asked if he's loving this
> hot weather. He said oh, man! It's great!
>
> Turns out he went on a church tour/shopping trip to Pennsylvania Dutch
> (Amish) country. They left just before a big snowstorm hit. He said it
> was 18°F there! (People this far south don't generally own really heavy
> coats.) I'm sure it felt good for him to get back here to warmer, if
> not hot, temperatures.
>
> I had to chuckle. He said, "I'm a black man. Been around fried chicken
> all my life. I've *never* tasted fried chicken as good as I got in
> Pennsylvania!"
>
> I googled for some recipes for Amish fried chicken. Apparently soaking
> the chicken pieces in buttermilk is the key. I've heard about this for
> years, but since I don't fry chicken... <shrug>
>
> Some might say buttermilk is a "southern thing". <shrug> My father
> (born in and mostly raised in Pennsylvania or western Ohio, in Penna
> Dutch country) grew up with buttermilk. Me, having lived most of my
> adult life in the South, not so much.
>
> Jill

I never heard of Southern cooks brining chicken. That's just plain
goofy! My guess is that cooks soak chicken in buttermilk for the same
reason they soak fish in milk - to get rid of some funky tastes. I make
a mean fried chicken. I like to soak it in a bottle of Tabasco.

Chicken Alice used to make a mean fried chicken too.

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/...en-recipe.html

This recipe uses a technique that's popular here - the chicken is
marinated in a strongly flavored batter, after which, the chicken is
deep fried using only the marinade/batter. It's a very fast, simple, and
tasty technique.