Brining gives fried chicken more flavor than KFC’s

Sharon Mather of Colbert enjoyed a recipe for a KFC coleslaw knockoff we printed awhile back. She loved it so much that she gave us another challenge – for the original Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Now, Colonel Harland Sanders’ “11 herbs and spices” is one of the biggest food secrets of all time. According to the KFC Web site, www.kfc.com, only a handful of people know the recipe. In fact, the site claims, KFC uses two different companies to supply the ingredients. Each company provides a part of the recipe, then the ingredients are combined by KFC. Tricky.

Of course, the Internet is awash in copycat recipes for that famous chicken. Some call for pressure cooking the chicken, which is similar to how they prepare it in the restaurants. A surprising number called for a combination of Italian salad dressing mix and pancake mix. Normally, I’m not fond of shortcuts and “instant food.” This particular combination was so popular online, however, I had to see what was up.

I found this recipe at www.recipezaar.com. Although it hadn’t been reviewed, it was so similar to other favorably reviewed recipes on the Web, I figured it was worth a shot.

A couple of notes to start. I used Good Seasonings brand Italian dressing mix, but couldn’t find any in a 1-ounce size, as called for in the recipe. The packets I bought were .7 ounces, and that was probably OK. What made it probably OK was the fact that I brined my chicken beforehand, which helped further season the meat.

I use a brine formula from the November/December 2001 issue of Cook’s Illustrated: 1 quart cold water, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Morton kosher salt, and 1/2 cup sugar per pound of meat.

I soaked the chicken pieces for two hours. Then I rinsed them, patted them dry and placed them on a rack set in a jelly roll pan to air dry in the refrigerator while I prepared my other ingredients.

I used a similar rack-and-pan setup to bake the chicken. I figured this would allow for some of the excess frying oil to drain off the chicken.

I deviated from the recipe in another area. Following a tip from Cook’s Illustrated, I double-dipped my chicken. Instead of dousing the pieces in the egg wash before dredging them in pancake mix, I dipped in pancake mix, then egg wash, then pancake mix. This helps ensure a crisp crust that actually stays on the chicken.

Also, I let the dipped chicken rest on a rack rather than paper towels. Why let all that breading get stuck on the towels, only to go to waste?

Finally, because I don’t own a deep fryer, I used an electric skillet that has deep sides. The oil temperature never got near 425 degress – it maxed out at 340 – but the chicken turned out all right. Six minutes of fry time even at the lower temperature turned the crust a lovely deep brown. I’m not sure I’d want the oil much hotter. Next time, however, I’ll try frying in my 5 1/2-quart enameled cast-iron pot on the stove top.

My husband and I tasted my chicken alongside a couple of pieces of the Colonel’s finest. The result? Mine was crispier – closer to KFC’s extra crispy style – but lacking pepper. I would add a healthy dose of ground black pepper to both the pancake mix and the egg wash to get the seasoning closer to the real thing.

The brining, however, really told the tale. My chicken was flavorful throughout. Once we got past the coating on the KFC chicken, the flavor seemed to disappear.

This isn’t exactly the colonel’s recipe, but for homemade fried chicken it’s pretty close. It also tasted pretty darn good cold the next day for lunch.

Copycat Kentucky Fried Chicken

From www.recipezaar.com

2 cups pancake mix

2 (1-ounce) packages Italian salad dressing mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup club soda or beer

3 pounds chicken pieces

oil (for frying)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine pancake mix with one package of dressing mix in a large bowl. Combine remaining package dressing mix with eggs and club soda or beer; mix well.

Dip each piece of chicken in egg and soda mixture, then in pancake mixture. Let dry on rack or paper towels (pieces should not touch) about 5 minutes.

Heat oil in deep fryer to 425 degrees. Fry coated chicken pieces in hot oil for 6 minutes. Remove and place on a baking sheet. (Again, the pieces should not touch).

Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until done.

Yield: About 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.