Homemade Fried Chicken

I had been planning on making some fried chicken at home last night for quite some time. Monday night I decided to take action and start prepping making the chicken using a recipe Ed Levine had posted a while back. After breaking down a fresh chicken, I put it in the brine and proceeded to go to bed. In the morning I drained the chicken and then did a soak in buttermilk and by the time I got off work, the chicken was ready for breading and frying.



There are a few things I'd do differently. First, I'd make sure I lightly but thoroughly breaded the chicken. I had a big issue with a few pieces of chicken where I was over zealous with the breading. What it left me with was a pile of burnt flour at the bottom of my pan that proceeded to blacken my chicken (those pieces hidden in the back of the photo).

I'll probably end up using a little less salt. I found the chicken a bit salty.

Otherwise it was something I can see myself doing again and often. Maybe I'll mess around with the flouring a bit by adding some more spices. There was something extremely satisfying with how tender the chicken was.

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

310 S. Front St, Memphis

The best thing about traveling for work is that it allows me to go to places I would never willingly visit and sample some of the best food in the area. In my initial search for good eats in Memphis, the reoccuring theme was that Gus's was a can't miss. Ed Levine was actually miffed on how Bon Appétit could leave Gus'off of its list of top 3 fried chicken places back in 2007.



Now, I have to be honest here, this is my second trip to Memphis and my second visit it Gus's. My first visit to Gus's was slightly disappointing. I found the batter a bit salty but well flavored and perfectly crisp. Unlike most fried chicken's you find your sort of forgot that it had ever sat in a vat of boiling oil. Even though it was over salted, what impressed me was the marriage between the flavor of the batter and the chicken. Each made the other taste better, It never hurts when the meat is perfectly cooked. Even the breast was tender and moist.

This time around, I made it a point to revisit Gus's, hoping that the salt issues were a one off. I was well rewarded. Gone was the saltiness and boy did that make a difference. What it revealed was a complexity of seasonings, most notably a slight spicyness that was previously undetectable. Although I will have to remember to open the styrofoam container the next time I order to go in order to prevent the slight loss of crispyness that I encounterd.



This time around I also grabbed an order of fried green tomatoes which I found light and crispy and very appetizing. The acidity from the tomatoes brought out an underlying sweetness that I did not expect. I found them pleasently addicting.

Overall? Exremely satisfying.

Bon Chon

Bon Chon was all the rave last year in our little group. But since I was the only one in NYC, their access was too few and far between. But now that the crispy delight has opened up in Boston @ Privus, I have way more opportunity to enjoy the treat. Not only is the price per wing slightly cheaper up north, but I have more friends to share them with. There's nothing like food, drink, & friends.

For those of you who have never had Bon Chon or Korean fried chicken before, you should seek out the opportunity to indulge yourself asap. What you will find is a sticky crunchy wing/drumstick packed with flavor. Especially if you end up getting the spicy version. It's insanely different from your normal southern fried chicken. In fact I'd compare it more to the fried chicken you would get in any Chinese take-out place, kicked up 1000 notches. Its a treat that must be tried.