Crazy For Fried Chicken

There’s no doubt that New York is going cluckity cluck ker-azy over fried chicken. And I don’t mean hunks of dry, cardboardy flesh hidden beneath insipid batter, deep -fried then shoved into a box to steam for that final crunch-kill. I’m talking about the new breed of gourmet-fried poultry pieces. Whether it’s Southern style, Korean style or Japanese inspired (think panko-crusted yumminess), these sublime bird bits with a crisp factor previously unheard off in the city are soaked in buttermilk, nestled in flavored brines or massaged with mysterious concoctions that put Colonel Sanders’ secret blend of 11 herbs and spices to shame. Smothered with TLC and treated with the respect it finally deserves, NYC fried chicken is no more relegated to being fast food’s answer to the “white meat” alternative to burgers, gyros and hot dogs. No longer just a way to masquerade water-bloated, tasteless pseudo-chicken meat, the flour coating has returned to play its rightful role, shards of crunch bursting with heart-warming spicy flavors; the perfect foil to moist, tender real chicken. 

In light of our newfound obsession with this decadent treatment of America’s favorite white meat, the local media is tripping over itself to offer lists, surveys and pictograms of the best versions around. Serious Eats recently posted The Great New York Fancy-Pants Fried Chicken Roundup featuring eleven top bird joints that had been subjected to the well-considered but not all-that-scientific criteria the team at Serious Eats had devised. Beating big names like Momofuku, Blue Ribbon and Locanda Verde, The Redhead in the East Village came out king cockerel scoring maximum points or clucks for taste (Tender and juicy, it’s the best white meat can hope to be), crunch (Just the right about of crunch, not too thick or too thin, this is what serious fried chicken is all about) and spiciness (The most well-seasoned chicken we tasted, inside and out. This is one savory piece of chicken). 

If you are lucky enough to sink your teeth into one of their bootilicious beauties, don’t be fooled into thinking that just because it took you four minutes to lick your plate clean, that the crew at The Redhead – led by the magnificent Meg Grace – was just as hasty in their preparations. First there’s a three hour soak in a salty, sugary, herby brine then the birds luxuriate in a rich buttermilk bath followed by a dip in seasoned flour. As for the superior crunch, it’s all down to the deep fryer set at the optimum temperature.   

Not to be outdone by Serious Eats, three days after the fancy-pants list hit cyber space, New York Magazine, came out with a five-pronged tribute to The Fried Chicken Craze of 2009. First there was The Bucket List slide-show featuring its top nine joints.  Interestingly only six of the joints mentioned in Serious Eats made an appearance in New York Magazine; Momofuku, Buttermilk Channel, Locanda Verde, Brooklyn Bowl, Blue Smoke and The Redhead. Then there was the Buttermilk Brooklyn map of chicken joints in the borough, a taste test of fast-food fried chicken, a nod to the resurgence of Joseph Well’s sweet-and-salty fried chicken wings and waffle dish and a salute to Charles Gabriel. Gabriel is the frymaster at the famous Harlem soul food institution Rack & Soul. A true fried chicken veteran he began selling his chicken out of a truck more than 20 years ago. The best thing about Gabriel is that he’s stayed true to his roots. He hasn’t invested in a deep fat fryer which is the easiest way of ensuring even cooking and good crunch with minimal effort. Instead, he relies on massive, round cast iron skillets and patience in ample quantities to carefully shallow fry his chicken.

If this post made your belly ache for fried chicken but you’d rather not spend a small fortune or can’t be bothered to leave the confines of your comfy abode, then worry not. I’ll shortly be writing about my own escapades in coming up with the ultimate home-fried chicken recipe. Stay tuned – it’s gonna be a good one.