Deep-fried, pan-fried, sautéed, and stir-fried; boned and fried, filled and fried; breaded, battered, and Southern-fried. Wherever in the world there are chickens, there is sure to be fried chicken. And where there is fried chicken, there's sure to be Damon Fowler, offering up an international collection of the world's best fried chicken recipes
A certain well-known take-out chicken with eleven herbs and spices is not the only Southern fried chicken that is seasoned with a complex blend of herbs and spices; it is just one of many. You can experiment with the combination until you have your own unique blend. If you don't have a couple of the spices on hand, feel free to omit them. When deep-fried, which is the way I prefer to cook this one, the chicken makes great picnic fare because it stays crispy long after it's cold, and the spice and herb seasoning stands up well to other highly seasoned picnic food.
Serves 8
2 frying chickens, weighing no more than 3 pounds each, cut up for frying
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (about 8 large cloves)
4 cups buttermilk or plain all-natural yogurt, stirred until smooth
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Lard or peanut oil, for frying
For the Herb and Spice Mix:
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons crumbled dried basil
2 teaspoons bay leaves ground to a powder (use a spice mill or blender)
2 teaspoons crumbled dried oregano
2 teaspoons crumbled dried sage
2 teaspoons crumbled dried thyme
1 tablespoon salt
Wash the chicken and pat dry. Put the chicken pieces in a large nonreactive glass or stainless steel bowl. Stir the garlic into the buttermilk or yogurt. Pour it over the chicken and turn until coated and submerged in the liquid. Marinate for up to 1 hour, refrigerated. Meanwhile, combine the spices, herbs, salt, and flour in a paper or large ziplock plastic bag. Close the bag and shake until the seasoning is well distributed.
If you plan to serve the chicken hot, preheat the oven to 150 degrees F. (or warm setting). Fit a wire cooling rack on a cookie sheet and set aside. Fill a Dutch oven or deep-fat fryer with enough lard or oil to come halfway up the sides. Over medium-high heat, bring the fat to 375 degrees F (hot but not smoking).
Beginning with the dark meat, lift the chicken pieces out the marinade one at a time, allowing the excess to flow back into the bowl, and drop them into the bag with the seasoned flour. Close the bag and shake until the chicken is well coated. Lift out of the flour, shake off the excess, and slip enough of the pieces into the fat to fill the pan or fryer without crowding it. Deep-fry until the outside is a rich brown and the chicken is tender, maintaining the temperature at 365 degrees F, for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the chicken once, if necessary.
Remove the pieces as they are done, drain well, and place on the wire rack set in a cookie sheet. If you want to serve it hot, keep the finished chicken in the warm oven while you fry the second batch.
