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America’s ‘Fried Chicken War’

bbc.com

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Re: America’s ‘Fried Chicken War’

#91

Post by ValentineC »

NikolaeVarius wrote: post #85
ValentineC wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Best fried chicken has to be Korean fried chicken at this point. Two things I don't like about Korean fried chicken: - Some places don't seem to marinade the meat enough, so the tasty fried skin is met with bland white meat inside; and - Many places consider the drumette and flats to be separate pieces, while Southern fried chicken places consider the entire wing as one piece.

You first points is not a property of the food style, just bad cooking.

The bland meat seems to be endemic among Korean fried chicken places here (and I'm talking chain restaurants, which are supposed to be more consistent) — I'm not sure if it's the food style or cooking skill.

Re: America’s ‘Fried Chicken War’

#92

Post by dkarl »

westwooded wrote: post #63

Love that they use lard vs. the unhealthy vegetable seed oils that all places use nowadays. Just like how McDonald's used to use beef tallow. Best fried chicken has to be Korean fried chicken at this point. Double frying it gives the inside the tenderness temperature while the outside is perfectly crispy.

Wow, never knew I'd be talking about cooking on HN! I learned from Seriouseats (correction: the Food Lab book[1]) to double fry your restaurant fried chicken leftovers (or don't even wait for them to be leftovers) and, most importantly, make a dipping sauce (or two, or three) to match your current craving[2].

[1] https://bookshop.org/books/the-food-lab-better-home-cooking-...

[2] https://www.seriouseats.com/2012/03/upgrade-your-fried-chick...

Re: America’s ‘Fried Chicken War’

#93

Post by bitxbitxbitcoin »

westwooded wrote: post #63

Love that they use lard vs. the unhealthy vegetable seed oils that all places use nowadays. Just like how McDonald's used to use beef tallow. Best fried chicken has to be Korean fried chicken at this point. Double frying it gives the inside the tenderness temperature while the outside is perfectly crispy.

I did some research a year back on what food critics consider to be the "best fried chicken in America." I took every list of best fried chicken that I could find on the internet going back two decades, parsed out closed restaurants and made a spreadsheet of over 240 fried chicken joints. Each mention on a list was one "vote" for the best fried chicken in America (and therefore the world). I came out with a definitive list of the best places to get fried chicken... a Fried Chicken Bucket List, if you will. [1]

In case anyone's wondering, #1 (Willie Mae's Scotch House) came in at 22/25 votes and #2 (Gus's World Famous Chicken) came in at 16/25 votes.

One thing I noticed while researching the top fried chicken restaurants - a LOT of them use lard instead of vegetable oil or something else. Also, duration of brine was at least 24 hours.

Another thing that I'll mention is that fried chicken from Willie Mae's is incredibly similar to Korean fried chicken - in fact, it's also double fried. Would love to hear from others that have tried it to see if they think the same, too!

I'm going to need to give Chicken Mary's and Chicken Annie's a try on my next roadtrip.

[1] https://thehighestcritic.com/munchies/the-fried-chicken-buck...

Re: America’s ‘Fried Chicken War’

#94

Post by bitxbitxbitcoin »

I've been searching long and hard for the best fried chicken for all my life. I'll need to give Chicken Mary's and Chicken Annie's a try the next chance I get.

So far, the best has by far been Willie Mae's Scotch House - and the country's food critics seem to agree. [1]

[1] https://thehighestcritic.com/munchies/the-fried-chicken-buck...

Re: America’s ‘Fried Chicken War’

#95

Post by Ironlikebike »

bluntfang wrote: post #67
westwooded wrote: post #63

Love that they use lard vs. the unhealthy vegetable seed oils that all places use nowadays. Just like how McDonald's used to use beef tallow. Best fried chicken has to be Korean fried chicken at this point. Double frying it gives the inside the tenderness temperature while the outside is perfectly crispy.

I've been curious about McDonald's fries since I think they are tasty. There are many articles around that still say they use beef products in their french fries. According to their website they do not use beef, but a "beef flavoring" that contains milk products and not beef product. https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/small-french-frie...

Yes this is true. It's a beef flavoring. My father spent the majority of his career in food-processing engineering working in a factory that made McDonald's french fries and confirmed this was the case. They're also par-cooked (pre-fried) before being flash frozen, and they don't use a batter or seasoning. Interesting tidbit, all of their competitors had their fries made in the same facility. I believe most of them even used the same type of potatoes.

Re: America’s ‘Fried Chicken War’

#96

Post by blaser-waffle »

spike021 wrote: post #4
ksenzee wrote: post #2

Chicken Mary's is the only place I've ever been offered fried chicken with a side of spaghetti. It's good, too.

Jollibee's also has fried chicken with spaghetti! It's a Filipino thing and it's super good. Not sure where they have locations other than California, though.

Northern Virginia I believe.

Definitely some locations in Canada too.

Re: America’s ‘Fried Chicken War’

#97

Post by blaser-waffle »

selimthegrim wrote: post #56
29athrowaway wrote: post #40

The only way to make fried chicken fast preserving its inner moisture is using a pressure fryer. That's the innovation that enabled KFC to become a fast food chain.

And here I thought it was buttermilk...

I thought it was the 11 secret herbs and spices

Re: America’s ‘Fried Chicken War’

#98

Post by selimthegrim »

wincy wrote: post #90
selimthegrim wrote: post #55

They always say you've moved to New Orleans when you stop at Popeye's on the way home after getting $250 worth of groceries

Oh man now I want to get Popeyes for lunch. I swear they put some sort of drug in their red beans and rice, I just can’t get enough of that with some spicy chicken! Definitely try Popeyes if you get the chance, we’ve got them all the way up here in Kansas City, so I’m not sure how wide their range is.

One time I was driving back from Boulder to New Orleans. I think this was somewhere on US-84 in Texas or I-25 in Colorado (I think the latter). My fan had conked out (my AC had quit on the leg in). After a few hundred miles of driving with the window down I saw Popeyes on the blue sign at the next exit and pulled off at the exit. The moment I turned left to cross the overpass and laid eyes on the Popeyes sign on the other side of the Interstate my fan croaked back to life. I call it Al Copeland's miracle.

Re: America’s ‘Fried Chicken War’

#99

Post by selimthegrim »

blaser-waffle wrote: post #97
selimthegrim wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And here I thought it was buttermilk...

I thought it was the 11 secret herbs and spices

You probably think you're getting fresh chicken when you pull through the KFC drive thru window right before it closes too....
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