Kentucky Fried Chicken Recipe
Theimmigrants from Scotlandfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep frying chicken pieces in lard and even further back they used to fry fritters in the middle ages.
The Scottish immigrants would often labor, live and dine with the African slaves and this lead to the Africans adding some new spices to the formula andbuildingtheir own presentationof Southern Fried Chicken.
These Africans later became thechefsin many a Southern American household where fried chicken became a regular staple.
This is said to have come from a gentleman named James Boswell who wrote arecordin 1773 known as ârecord of a Tour to the Hebridesâ.
In his journal he noted that at dinner the local people would eat fricassee of fowl which he went on to say âfried chicken or something like thatâ.
What he really heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.They also found that it lasted well well inwarmclimate prior to refrigeration was prevalent so was eaten on almost a daily basis as they travelled to the cotton fields to labor.
Since then it has become the southern state's best choicefor just about any occasion.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known formula for crispy deep-fried chicken in English is hidden away in one of the most celebrated cooking books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse called The Art of cookery Made Plain and Easy.
Her food had a strange name known as âTo Marinate Chickensâ which was first available in 1747. The book was a hit in the UK and more importantly in the American Colonies.
Here is the original formula...
Cut two chickens into quarters; lay them in vinegar for 3-4 hours with pepper, salt, bay and a few cloves. Make a very thick batter first with ½ pint of wine and flour then 2 eeg yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourchicken piecesin the batter and fry them in a high-quality deal of pork shorteningwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of a fine browncolour and set them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a good gravy.
These days, we have changed the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which has nearly zero trans fats and we use a brine of buttermilk and salt to season our chicken throughout. Itâs amazing to think how far this mix has walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.