Love That Chicken

If you ask people anywhere in the world what their favorite fast food or street food item is they are likely to declare it to be fried chicken. I agree and am here to acknowledge that July is the month that honors the greasy, but delicious fried chicken. How many ways can we fry chicken? I think it is limitless and everyone as a favorite that he or she swears by. It's one of those food that can not have a "best". There are too many good versions. Why, I even like two fast food versions here, KFC original and my former home's (New Orleans company Popeye's Chicken.  If I eat fast food two times a month, one will be fried chicken at either place.

We also all have our favorite recipes for fried chicken. One I like for frying the best piece of chicken , the wing, is below. I think the U.S can thank the Scottish for being crazy about fried chicken. Scottish immigrants brought their tradition of deep frying chicken in fat to the southern United States.  After its introduction to the American South, fried chicken soon became a staple and that colonel Sander's guy came up with a recipe that the whole world seems to like a lot. Shanghai , China is the place that has the most KFC outlets, world wide. 

When I was a boy people used to fry their chicken in lard...pork fat. Nothing may be better than that. But the food police decided that lard was unhealthy, so people who fry that way here now are rare and at risk. Purest like me say you never remove the skin from chicken before cooking it, especially when frying. Again, the food police has promoted the notion that the chicken is "healthier" if fried skinless. It's not, but it is less flavorful.

Fried chicken is so popular I think if Marie Antionette were alive today she would not say to the mob of protesters outside the royal castle, "Let them eat cake". Nope, it would more likely be a different strategy to quiet the mob. "If you shut up and go home the king and I will give you a box of KFC to take with you.