I made fried chicken last night.?

Question

What were our mothers thinking??? It made the biggest mess EVER. Oil everywhere, including the floor - then what do you do with the leftover oil? I also broke my oil thermometer somehow. Now I have to go get a new one of those. Never again.

I used Alton Brown's method including his recommended oil and pan. I am an experienced cook but have not had a disaster like this. The chicken was good but NOT worth the mess.

Answer 1

Yep. I know how that goes.
But I found a better less messier way. I've come to start using my electric skillet (3 inches deep + lid) Place newspaper under it to catch drips (there WILL be drips no matter what you do) and the legs sit it a good 2 inches off the counter so I don't have to worry about fire. Fill halfway with oil and when frying your chicken keep the lid on. It prevents some of the bubbly mess and I found that it cooks the chicken through faster with the lid on. I take it off only to turn the chicken. When done, all I have to do is throw away the paper towels I drained the chicken on and the newspaper. Then just minor wiping of the counter to get off excess grease and voila! You can reuse the grease, provided it isn't full of excess flour from your chicken, maybe only once more. Then pour into an old coffee can or something to discard.
Hope I might help your mess making. Fried chicken is so good it would be a shame to stop making it just because of the mess.

Answer 2

Just a suggestion, but you can make a great oven fried chicken. I usually use the "drumettes" because they're the perfect size.
1. Simply rinse the chicken and pat dry.
2. Drizzle olive oil and toss to coat.
3. Then sprinkle garlic salt (I really like Lawry's); I also add some Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic (buy it in stores, or go to the source link to create your own mix).
4. Place on broiler pan rack. Tip: line the bottom of the pan (that will catch the drippings) with foil for easier clean up.
5. Broil at 350-375 oF until the skin turns brown; turn and do the same on the other side until the skin becomes brown and crisp. Tip: start the broiling with the skin side of the chicken DOWN; when you turn the chicken and do the final broiling the skin side will be up and become crispy. Cooking time will vary depending upon the cut of chicken, thickness of meat. If in doubt, use a cooking thermometer.

Answer 3

I am sorry you had such a hard time. As a mother of 3 I can tell you that Fried Chicken does make a mess if you don't know what you are doing. I can also tell you that we only have fried chicken 2-3 times a year. You asked what to do with the left over oil, you should use it. I am guessing that you don't have a fryer, if you had one of those, you could put the oil back into it. Most likely you used the wrong kind of oil and pan. We have all had kitchen disasters.

Answer 4

I have fried chicken, both in a fryer and in a pan. One of the tricks to doing it in a pan is to get a round pan screen. It is like window screen in a frame that goes over the pan, the screen catches about 95% of the spatters. You could use a lid also, but this will let the pan grease get even hotter. When you put the chicken into the pan, try to be sure that it is mostly dry, this will also reduce the spattering.

What to do with the oil? I reuse some of it, but if I am not going to be using it in a relatively short time period (a couple of weeks) I pout it into a STEEL coffee can, put the lid on it, and put the can under the kitchen sink to cool. Once it is cooled, I throw the can into the garbage.

Answer 5

Yes it is a mess, I think the only way to avoid the mess is if you have a deep fryer. I have a splatter screen for my frying pan. I got it at bed bath and beyond for about $4.00. I love it, and I batter my chicken in a big brown paper bag. I don't think I ever used a thermometer for my oil. I usually have it on low until it is really hot, and I also don't put alot of pieces in at the same time because it drops the temp of the oil.

As far as the oil goes I know it horrible but put it in a old coffee can until you have more then dispose of it in a proper facility.

Answer 6

I completely know what you mean it seems more work to clean up than to actually cook and enjoy the meal. Here's a recipe that my mom taught me that tastes great and definitely kitchen friendly for the next time you might be craving fried chicken without the mess.

Easy Oven Fried Chicken Drumsticks


INGREDIENTS:
8 chicken drumsticks
salt and pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 to 3/4 cup corn flake crumbs
4 tablespoons butter

Heat oven to 375°.
Wash chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Combine the mayonnaise and mustard. Coat thicken well with the mayonnaise and mustard mixture. Dip into corn flake crumbs, turning, until well crusted.
Place in a lightly greased baking dish and drizzle about 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter over each drumstick.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until drumsticks are done.
Serves 4 to 6.

Answer 7

Yep, it does make a mess! I use the oven and prepare the chicken the same as you would to fry it, but I bake it instead. I usually brush a little bit of vegetable oil on it and then put a wire rack over a baking pan or a cookie sheet and bake the chicken on the rack at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, then check it until done.

Answer 8

Let me give you a tip to avoid the biggest mess ever when frying chicken. Use a pot with lid, heat oil in pot, enough to sink half of the chicken. Depending on the size of pot don't put more than 3 drumsticks or 5 wings at a time. Don't completely cover the pot while chicken is still frying, (just enough to let air out). Trust me no MESS.

* chicken will still be crispy and tender

Answer 9

we make fried chicken quite a bit at our house and I do it the easy way too! no mess in the kitchen!!!!
I do ours in our turkey fryer outside on the deck. 1 chicken takes about 8 minutes to cook in a single batch. the house doesn't smell like grease and no mess on the stove. turkey fryers aren't very expensive, about $40 at wal-mart or menards peanut oil runs about $20 for 2.5 gal. as for the old oil....save an old milk jug wash it out and use a funnel with a coffee filter in it and pour in the cold oil. you can use the oil one more time for chicken with a coating on it. if no coating the oil can be used more often. once the oil turns a dark brown in color it is no longer of any use, throw it away.

Answer 10

I think it does shows how things can be misinterpreted by people that don't live in the south. All people in the south eat a lot of fried chicken not just blacks. I am sure people in the North are the only ones that might have taken any offense to the comment because they don't understand the context