Fowl Play

I like Fried Chicken. There was once a time when I had a severe PMS episode and ate fried chicken lunches for a week: Max’s, KFC, Greenwich (I think their chicken is the original Jollibee version before it changed to Chickenjoy) and yet more KFC. It’s horrible considering all the oil, grease and trans fat. But it tastes great, so there.

Thankfully I have ceased my fried chicken bingeing days although every now and then I allow myself some serious chicken lickin’. My most recent favorite surprisingly comes from a Chinese restaurant. Yes, that’s right so stop snickering. Have you tried the Sincerity Restaurant fried chicken? Sincerity in Nueva Street Binondo is a veritable hole-in-a-wall serving fantastic, authentic Chinese. On our first outing we had to circle the block thrice before finding the place. They serve this amazing liver dish plus an oyster pancake I remember quite well. But it was the fried chicken that made me a permanent fan. The most non-Chinese order of the meal got me hooked. Best, you can order the chicken to take home. In hubby Christian’s last birthday, we served a dimsum/dumpling feast with the Sincerity Fried Chicken for dessert (kidding).


Ooooh...check out the evil grease stains on that takeout box. Eat in moderation!

Another Great Unforgettable for me is the Garlic Fried Chicken in Happy Garden, Hong Kong. Happy Garden is along Canton Road, across Harbour City. A trip to HK is not complete without a Happy Garden lunch stopover. Hubby and I always order the Sweet and Sour Pork, Yang Chow fried rice (with huge blocks of Chinese ham and lots of fat, succulent prawns) and… the Garlic Fried Chicken. I have often wondered how they cook this – the oh-so-crispy skin and tender golden buttery chicken. It’s one of the rare times I even bother to eat the white meat. I read somewhere that to really reach deep and deliver loads of flavor into the poultry meat, a natural butter marinade, roasted chicken fat or lard is injected into the chicken. Auguste Escoffier flavored his chickens injected with lard, truffles and salted pork fat. Good grief, sounds really, really wicked.



When I want a good, homemade fried chicken that’s not tough and dry (as most are), I consult Craig Claiborne’s The New York Times Cookbook. He has this Southern Fried Chicken recipe that’s awfully easy to make. I copied it below for you to try:

Southern Fried Chicken
4 Servings

1 Chicken, cut into serving portions
Milk
¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 cup flour
1 ½ to 2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 pound lard, or 2 cups corn oil
¼ pound butter

Put the Chicken pieces in a bowl and add milk to cover. Add the Tabasco sauce and stir. Refrigerate 1 hour or longer. Combine the flour, salt and pepper (the flavor of pepper in this recipe is important) in a flat baking dish. Belend well. Remove the chicken pieces, 2 or 3 at a time, and dip them into the flour mixture, turning them in the floor to coat well. Heat the lard and butter in a skillet, preferably a black iron skillet large enough to hold the chicken pieces in one layer without touching, over high heat. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down and cook until golden brown on one side. Turn the pieces and reduce the heat to medium low. Continue cooking until pieces are golden brown and cooked through. Total cooking time should be 20-30 minutes. As the pieces are cooked, transfer to paper toweling to drain.