Discovering the best fried chicken feels like a treasure hunt.
You know, the kind that explodes in your mouth and is so good it makes you want to cry.
Enter Willie Mae’s Fried Chicken Recipe, a recipe so good it’s considered the holy grail of all fried chicken recipes.
This recipe is perfect for people on a diet searching for a delicious but healthy meal, for chefs looking to wow diners, and for basically anyone on the hunt for delicious chicken.
You can have it for lunch, dinner, and breakfast because why not.
Try this recipe today for the crispiest, juiciest fried chicken.
History
Willie Mae’s Scotch house opened to the public in 1957 as a bar, restaurant, and beauty shop.
Soon, it became apparent that the crowds streamed in for the finger-licking food, which led the establishment to focus more on the restaurant.
Years later, Willie Mae’s delicacies, especially fried chicken, continue to bewilder and fill hearts and bellies.
Why You Should Try Willie Mae’s Fried Chicken Recipe
●It’s an egg-splotion of flavor (see what we did there?)- from garlic to thyme leaves, hot sauce, black pepper, and paprika; there are more than enough spices in this recipe to keep your taste buds going.
●It has a low-calorie count- We know how important sticking to your diet is, so we’ve created a recipe to help you stick to your diet. There are 209 calories in a single serving of Willie Mae’s fried chicken. The recommended calorie intake for lunch and dinner is 500 to 700 calories. You do the math!
●It’s healthy- Willie Mae’s fried chicken is cholesterol-free and loaded with proteins, a dynamic duo unbeaten in aiding weight loss. It’s seriously the best thing since sliced bread.
●It’s easy to make- Now, hold your horses there, partner! We know this recipe is twelvesteps long, but it’s easy to understand and follow, which is what counts.
Willie Mae’s Fried Chicken Recipe
Prep Time: 5 hrs
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 5 hrs 40 mins
Ingredients
Brine Ingredients:
●5 cups of coca-cola
●1 tablespoon of kosher salt
●10 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
●10 cloves of garlic
●4 tablespoons of mild hot sauce
●8 to 10 chicken thighs
Seasoned Flour Ingredients
●3 cups of self-rising flour
●1 tablespoon of kosher salt
●2 tablespoons of ground black pepper
●2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
●1 ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
●1 ½ teaspoon of onion powder
●1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
What to Use for Frying
●3 cups of olive oil
●1 cup of lard
Directions for the Brine
1.In a large metallic bowl, add kosher salt and five cups of coca-cola. Stir until the salt dissolves.
2.Add the garlic cloves, hot sauce, and thyme and whisk to form an even mixture.
3.Add chicken thighs to the mixture. Massage the mixture into the thighs with your fingers. Cover the bowl with foil and refrigerate for three to five hours.
Directions for Seasoned Flour
●Spread 3 cups of self-rising flour evenly on a wide plastic bowl.
●Add kosher salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, Spanish paprika, and black pepper to the plastic bowl. Whisk to form an even mixture and set aside.
Directions for Frying
●Preheat the stove to 350 degrees F.
●In a heavy bottom Dutch Oven, heat peanut oil on medium heat. Put a meat thermometer in the center of the oil to check the temperature. The oil should be at 375 degrees orslightly higher.
●Take the chicken thighs out of the fridge. Remove them from the brine, and pat them dry with paper towels. Transfer them (chicken thighs) to the plastic bowl with seasoned flour.
●Carefully place the chicken thighs into the hot peanut oil.
P.S: Only place four chicken thighs at a time.
●Cook each side for no more than five minutes.
●Transfer the cooked chicken thighs to a wire rack to drain excess oil.
●Clear juice should flow out of the cooked chicken thighs when poked with a knife. If not, place the thighs on a baking sheet and bake till they reach a temperature of 165 degrees F (this should be measured using a meat thermometer)
How Do You Get Seasoning to Stick to Fried Chicken?
Getting seasoning to stick to your fried chicken is as easy as these simple steps.
●Pat your chicken with clean paper towels until there are no juices left. If you’ve got a few hours to spare, you can leave it uncovered in the fridge for three to four hours.
●Coat the chicken with a binding agent. Seasoning sticks much better when you introduce a sticky base. For the best results, we recommend that you use extra virgin oil. You can also use mayonnaise, mustard, melted butter, or Worcester sauce.
●Rub seasoning into the chicken using your fingers. A great binding agent, check. Now to the part where you get those hands dirty. Rubbing seasoning into chicken, instead of sprinkling, makes sure seasoning sticks to the meat.
●You can also prick holes into the chicken, ensuring seasoning gets into the chicken’s cracks and fissures.
●Marination is an excellent way to get the seasoning to stick because it also gets into the chicken’s inner layers.
Can you Fry Chicken with Cornstarch instead of Self-rising Flour?
You can easily replace self-rising flour with cornstarch for fried chicken.
Cornstarch creates a much crispier coating, which holds sauces better and absorbs far less oil.
For better results, you should;
●Consider blending cornstarch with gluten-free flour- the mixture results in a coating much closer to what wheat flour would have achieved.
●Ensure that your cornstarch coating is light and even. Heavier coatings can get sticky.
Is Brining Chicken Necessary?
Pretty much yes, if you want your chicken all juicy and nice.
Salt in the brine helps retain moisture in the meat.
How so?
By breaking down the meat’s proteins.
You see how meat contracts when you place it on a grill or oven?
That’s because of the proteins.
Less water is lost once the meat’s proteins are broken down, which results in a juicer, plumper meal.
Willie Mae’s fried chicken recipe is recommended for the crispiest, juiciest, most delicious chicken.
Try it today.
We guarantee you it’s going to be love at first bite.
The Iconic Willie Mae’s Fried Chicken Recipe
This recipe is perfect for people on a diet searching for a delicious but healthy meal, for chefs looking to wow diners, and for basically anyone on the hunt for delicious chicken.
