Makes 10 or more pieces of chicken
YouTube instructional video is at the bottom
What you’ll need
10 pieces of chicken (Legs, thighs, wings, or breasts bone-in)
All-purpose flour
Large eggs
Zatarain’s creole mustard
Vegetable or canola oil
Seasonings
Salt
Black pepper
Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning
Chef Paul’s poultry magic
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Cayenne pepper
Dried or ground thyme
Zatarain’s crab boil
Tools you’ll need
Deep fry or 4 quart pot
Cooling rack with an 11 x 17 inch baking pan
Thermometer (If you are using the 4 quart pot)
Cleaning trimming the chicken pieces
Note- You don’t have to rinse the chicken if you don’t want to. You can proceed to the next part of the step which is patting the chicken dry with napkins.
Step 1- Add chicken pieces into strainer and rinse with cold water. Take napkins and pat each piece of chicken dry. If chicken pieces have any excessive fat, trim it off with a knife.
Marinating the chicken
Notes- Season to taste. You can add more of less seasonings to the chicken. After you marinate or if you are frying your chicken right away, make sure you let chicken sit out for at least an hour to let it come to room temperature. Make sure you use your judgement skills to determine when the chicken is close to room temp. Do not let the chicken sit out for too long.
Step 2- Transfer chicken pieces into a large bowl and add 1/4 or 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 or 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning, 1 or 2 teaspoons Chef Paul’s Poultry magic, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Zatarain’s crab boil and 2 tablespoons Zatarain’s creole mustard. Coat seasonings onto chicken with your hands. Cover bowl with lid and place into fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
Egg mixture
Notes- Make sure eggs are at room temp. You can also adjust the seasoning as needed. You can add more or less. If you are frying more than 10 pieces of chicken, you may need to add more eggs. Use judgement skills to determine if you need to add more eggs and seasoning.
Step 3- Add 5 large eggs, 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon Zatarain’s crab boil into a medium sized bowl. Stir with whisk until combined and set aside.
Seasoned All-purpose flour batter
Notes- Season to taste. You can add more of less seasonings. You can test 1 piece of chicken and fry it and see if it’s at your desired taste and from there you can adjust the seasonings as needed. If you notice your batter is started to come together like moist crumbs, then you will have to make a second batch especially if you are frying more than 10 to 14 pieces of chicken.
Step 4- Add 3 cups All-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 1/2 or 2 teaspoons black pepper, 2 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning, 1 or 2 teaspoons Chef Paul’s poultry magic, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 or 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons Zatarain’s crab boil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried or ground thyme into a large bowl. Stir all ingredients together and set aside.
Frying your chicken
4 Quart pot- Preheat fire to medium high heat.
Deep fryer- Preheat to 360 to 375 degrees.
Notes- Make sure you have your cooling rack with a pan underneath it ready. Frying times vary depending on the size, and type of chicken piece. Other factors are the pot, stove and deep fryer. All of those play a role in the time your chicken is done. If you notice after frying a few pieces of chicken that your chicken is taking longer to float at the surface of the oil, you may need to change your oil. Make sure chicken is slightly cold but close to room temp. Cold chicken brings down the temperature of the oil.
Step 5- Add 48 fl ounces or more Vegetable or canola oil into a 4 qt pot of deep fryer. Let get hot for 20 minutes or until oil reaches a temperature of 360 to 375 degrees.
Step 6- Add 2 pieces of chicken into egg mixture and lightly coat chicken with egg mixture. Transfer chicken pieces into seasoned all-purpose flour batter and cover bowl with lid. Shake bowl to lightly coat chicken pieces. From there shake chicken slightly and add into hot oil. Fry chicken Legs, thighs, or bone-in chicken breasts for 15 minutes and chicken wings for 10 to 12 minutes. Once done, transfer chicken onto cooling rack and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
YouTube instructional video
