Cooking In, Dinner, Quick PostKerry Alaric CheeseboroJune 10, 2013acid, acidic, bacon fat, balsamic, basil, breadcrumbs, brine, brined, cast iron, cast iron skillet, cayenne, celery salt, cheese, chicken, corn oil, Dinner, dried, drumstick, drumsticks, egg, egg was, flakes, fried chicken, garlic, grated, grated cheese, grated parmesan, herb, herbs, oil, onion, oregano, paprika, Parmesan, peppercorn, peppercorns, powder, Quick Post, red pepper, red pepper flake, reduction, sauce, spices, thigh, thighs, tomato, vinegarComment

Neato Fritto

» Pollo Fritto (Italian Fried Chicken) | Tomato Balsamic Reduction

AS MUCH AS IT MAY very well be my all-time favorite food dish, I only usually have fried chicken less than once a month. Sometimes it's (hopefully) happy Dining Out research, as some new spot opens up in this city hyping their versions on their menus, and I have to go try it out for myself, of course. Other, usually more satisfying, times, is when I get to make my own Cooking In from home.

My favorite version—the one I most often make—is as close to my Dad's (Orangeburg, South Carolina home country-style recipe that I grew up on) as I can replicate. But, as always, I will try to mix it up, as I did this past Sunday, by making an Italian-style fried chicken.

Simply, I used the ingredients and prep as I would for a chicken parmesan dish, and instead of implementing them for a boneless chicken breast, I used them for even more flavorful chicken thighs and drumsticks.

I even brined the thighs and drumsticks in salted water with cracked peppercorn, red pepper flakes, basil and oregano for several hours, before dredging them in flour, coating them in an egg wash using some of the brining liquid, then coating them in a mixture of bread crumbs, grated parmesan, dried basil and oregano, garlic and onion powders, paprika, celery salt, fresh-cracked pepper, and a bit of cayenne.

I finally set them to fry in a cast iron skillet with corn oil and rendered bacon fat (!) over medium high heat. While they fried for about 5 minutes per side, in a separate small sauce pan, I reduced tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, chicken stock, honey, salt and pepper.

After removing the chicken from the skillet and letting the dry atop some paper towels, they were transferred to a plate, drizzled with the reduction, and finished them with some more grated parmesan.

The aromatic, nutty, salty, crispy, cheesy exterior gave way to chicken made more extraordinarily juicy and flavorful by all that inherent extra rendered fat and dark meat. Meanwhile the saucy reduction added nice hints of depth, sweetness, acidity, and spice.

I started with eating them with a knife and fork, but after these pictures were taken, I ravenously dove right in with both hands.

And as chewed proudly reveling in my successful new dish, I can now only hope that the rest of the city has something likewise new and exciting in fried chicken for me to try.