You've heard me say it before: I love fried chicken (in moderation, of course). But the chicken recipe's got to be worth it. To me, the perfect fried chicken is nice and batter-y, is organic, has its skin on, and is good and crispy. If I have to eat fried chicken out, KFC original recipe is just the thing. So it makes sense that in the search for perfect homemade fried chicken, I started with that recipe--which I found in the cookbook that my husband brought into our marriage (and is the item of most value, also): Top Secret Recipes: Creating Kitchen Clones of America's Favorite Brand-Name Foods, by Todd Wilbur.
The secret to KFC's mystery spices? MSG (monosodium glutamate). Sorry, you won't find that here. Buttermilk? Forget about it. I've tried cooking chicken with and without, and I don't think buttermilk makes enough of a difference to be worth searching it out. And it's hard to find organic buttermilk anyway. Brining? No way. Who's got the time and patience for that? So not only is this recipe delicious, but it's easy and quick, too.
To see Maria make her country fried chicken, watch her video at www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com.