561124 Mon Sep 29 13:26:42 -0700 2008 17 31 Home Cooking 0 4070413 His recipe was in a recent Bon Appetit and I've eaten the fried chicken twice at Ad Hoc, his restaurant in Yountville, CA. I'm thinking of attempting it. You first brine it for 24 hrs. Calls for brining whole chicken then cutting it up before battering and frying. I don't know how to cut one up and don't want to tackle this on my own. Would it be ok to brine an already cut up chicken? Mon Sep 29 13:26:42 -0700 2008 12520 walker 1 4070603 Although I have no real scientific or culinary basis for this....I think it'd be fine to brine the already cut up chicken. Maybe you should brine it for a couple of hours fewer.....Good luck. Mon Sep 29 14:48:02 -0700 2008 4070413 10245 oakjoan 1 4071123 I have brined chicken parts with success but they only need 1hour rather than 4 hours for a whole chicken. Could you share Thomas Keller's recipe with us...he is such a knowledgeable and respected chef. Thanks in advance Mon Sep 29 18:57:57 -0700 2008 4070413 179697 bevo 2 4071307 This was in this month's (Sept 08) Bon Appetit. (I could not find it in Epicurious but maybe it takes time to get there.) I'll try my best at paraphrasing -- I'm going to halve the recipe. Brine: 24 c water, 1 c coarse kosher salt, 1/2 c plus 1 T honey, 18 Turkish bay leaves, 30 smashed, unpeeled garlic cloves, 3 T whole black peppercorns, 6 sprigs fresh rosemary, 1 1/2 bunches fresh thyme sprigs, 1 1/2 bunches fresh Italian parsley, 2 T finely grated lemon peel, 3/4 c fresh lemon juice. Bring these ingredients to boil for 1 minute, stir to dissolve salt. Cool. Chill brine until cold, about 2 hrs. 3 3 1.2 lb chickens: Rinse chickens, add to brine, pressing to submerge. Chill at least 12 hrs, and up to 24 hrs. Drain, pat dry, removing herbs & spices. Cut each chicken into 8 pieces. Frying: Line 2 large baking sheets w/parchment paper. Mix 6 c all-purpose flour, 5 T garlic powder, 5 T onion powder, 4 tsp paprika, 4 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper and 4 tsp coarse kosher salt in large bowl. Place 6 c buttermilk in another large bowl. Dip chicken in flour mixture, shake off excess. Dip in buttermilk, then, into flour mixture again -- do not shake off excess this time. Place on prepared sheets, let stand 1 - 2 hrs at room temp. to dry. Pour 12 c peanut oil into heavy large pot. Attach deep-fry thermometer to side of pot, heat med-high to 320 F to 330 F. Fry 4 pieces at a time, legs and thighs about 13 min, turning once with wooden spoons, until golden. Transfer to paper towels and sprinkle with coarse salt. Breasts take about 7 min. Serve warm or let stand up to 2 hrs. at room temp. Let me know if you make it. I'm going to buy the best possible chicken I can find when I get around to cooking this. It tastes really great at his restaurant. Mon Sep 29 20:54:49 -0700 2008 4071123 12520 walker 3 4071527 Does anybody else think this brine sounds incredibly wasteful? 30 garlic cloves? 18 Bay leaves? good grief, and then it all gets thrown away? Tue Sep 30 01:03:30 -0700 2008 4071307 115105 duckdown 4 4071555 Well, it's for 3 chickens. Tue Sep 30 02:19:20 -0700 2008 4071527 12520 walker 3 4073734 Please do report back after you make this! It's been on my to-cook list since I saw the recipe in Bon Appetit. Interestingly, below is a link to a slightly different version of the Ad Hoc fried chicken from Food & Wine Oct 07. The recipe above from BA is more recent though, and I like the addition of paprika. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemon-brined-fried-chicken Wed Oct 01 03:07:28 -0700 2008 4071307 10371 Carb Lover 4 4074556 I prepared this a few weeks ago, like the first Sunday after I got the new issue in the mail. Very good fried chicken. I fried it on the stovetop, as I do not have a deep fryer as the recipe calls for (I believe). The chicken came out incredibly moist due to the brining. I will def use this recipe as a base for my fried chicken from here on out, may season the flour a little differently, but all in all a great recipe. Wed Oct 01 10:27:56 -0700 2008 4073734 154901 roro1831 5 4074632 Was the chicken cut up before or after brining? Did you fry in peanut oil? How long did you brine? Wed Oct 01 10:56:27 -0700 2008 4074556 12520 walker 1 4071414 For future reference, cutting up a chicken is really easy. If you just Google "cutting up a chicken video" you will be entertained for hours. Here's a straightforward video. http://www.chow.com/stories/10080 The first time you do it will be the only practice you'll need. After that, you'll know how. Mon Sep 29 22:18:20 -0700 2008 4070413 10743 yayadave 2 4071481 I'll take a look but I think I need someone by my side teaching me; too bad I never learned from my grandmother. I am very proud that I just taught myself how to make fresh pasta -- I'm sure that would have been easier if I'd been taught how by someone with experience. Mon Sep 29 23:27:49 -0700 2008 4071414 12520 walker 3 4071777 I learned how by following Bittman's instructions in "How to Cook Everything". They're illustrated but no photos or videos (obviously). It went fine. It really does look harder than it is. I'd suggest just doing it. It's not hard at all, and you'll save a ton of money buying whole chickens vs expensive cut-up chickens. I was annoyed at how afraid I'd been to try it after I discovered just how easy it is. Tue Sep 30 06:26:45 -0700 2008 4071481 11273 JonParker 3 4071872 As I said, the videos make it easier. The first time it is never-never land. After that it's like making toast. Sometimes you have to weigh the upsides and the down sides. The upsides are: 1. You gain a new cooking skill, and that really feels good. 2. You'll save some money on chicken. The downside is: You might screw up a $2 chicken the first time. So what! It'll still be edible. Don't worry about looking foolish. Remember, it'll still be edible. Worst case, you throw everything in a big pot with water, aromatics, and seasoning, and make soup. As an aside, there are all kinds of cooking videos available. Tue Sep 30 07:13:27 -0700 2008 4071481 10743 yayadave 3 4073029 It is so easy you will never buy a whole cut up chicken again. Tue Sep 30 16:25:40 -0700 2008 4071481 89493 scubadoo97 4 4073085 Where I buy chicken, they don't charge extra to cut it in to pieces. Any time I've tried to do it, it slides around and I just don't enjoy doing it. Guess if I did a few I'd get good at it but I don't really need to do it. Tue Sep 30 16:47:46 -0700 2008 4073029 12520 walker 5 4073088 Yes, the place where I buy mine is the same - and I ask them to include the backs, etc. when they cut up the chicken. Tue Sep 30 16:49:15 -0700 2008 4073085 10985 MMRuth 6 4075312 That's good. I have sooo many bags of chicken backs and discards (heart,gizzards, necks and wing tips) in the freezer for making stock. The stuff mutiples in the freezer I think. The liver I usually cooked on the spot for a chef's treat. When you cut a lot of chickens you get a better apprciation for the basic anatomy which is a good thing. Wed Oct 01 15:30:38 -0700 2008 4073088 89493 scubadoo97 1 4071700 An interesting web on the topic......(scroll down the page) http://thebittenword.typepad.com/thebittenword/2008/09/fried-chicken-wars-thomas-keller-vs-clays-mom.html (for those brave enough to try!) http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/97/Cutting-Up-Chicken Tue Sep 30 05:38:03 -0700 2008 4070413 65993 Lisbet