National Fried Chicken Day

Categories: • Food Holidays • July Food Observances • Seasonal Food • Southern Food

What better way to celebrate Fried Chicken Day than by frying up some Southern fried chicken. Fried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces usually from broiler chickens which have been floured or battered and then pan fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crispy coating or crust to the exterior.

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When is National Fried Chicken Day?

Always July 6!

What is this Holiday for?

This Holiday is set aside for people around the world

to appreciate the good taste of fried chicken. So to-

day make it a point to cook yourself up a big platter

of this traditional southern food and invite all your

friends and family to share in the goodiness. To go

along with it; make sure you don't forget the home-

made buttermilk biscuits. It's traditional ya know!

If you don't know how to make southern fried chicken

then let today be the day you learn. The Internet is

full of fried chicken recipes so pick one and give it a

try.

How is this holiday celebrated?

This holiday is celebrated by enjoying fried chicken

either at home or at your favorite restaurant! Heres

a few ideas for celebrating this holiday:

• Enjoy your back yard by having a deep fry chicken

party. Hook up the portible deep fryer, Set the table

with cool drinks like Iced Tea or Lemonade; and invite

all your friends, family and neighbors to share in the

love of fried chicken.

• July 6 is National Fried Chicken Day but did you

know that it's Baked Bean Month and Pickle Month

too? Yep it sure is and they both go great with fried

chicken so make sure you add them to your table ;)

We found recognition about this holiday from:

Calendar sites and personal Internet sites that blog

and share information about this holiday.

Southern Fried Chicken

"Fried chicken (also referred to as Southern Fried chicken in the United States) is the meat of chicken which is dipped in a breading mixture and then deep fried, pan fried or pressure fried. The breading seals in the juices but also absorbs the fat of the fryer, which may be seen as unhealthy. The chicken itself may be chicken pieces on the bone with skin, or boneless and skinless pieces, usually breast meat, as in chicken fingers."

"It is most often made using a pressure frier, as this is the quickest and some would say, 'tastiest', method of preparation. The water inside the chicken becomes steam and escapes through the oil in a sealed chamber, increasing the pressure and lowering the cooking temperature needed. The steam also cooks the chicken through, but still allows the piece to be moist and soft inside the crispy batter."

"Southern fried chicken is historically an African-American dish. The preparation of fowl using frying was relatively unknown among Europeans and the European setters of the United States, but was common in Western Africa. Africans who were enslaved and brought to the Americas brought this method of food preparation with them. source: wikipedia

Variations

• Buffalo wings, or the boneless buffalo fingers - Eponymous to Buffalo, New York.

• Country fried chicken - chicken meat that has been coated with flour or breaded, fried and served topped with country cream gravy. Source: wikipedia

Southern Fried Chicken Recipe

3 eggs

1 cup hot red pepper sauce

2 cup self-rising flour

2 1/2 lb chicken, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a deep pot. Do not fill the pot more than 1/2 full with oil.

In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs. Add enough hot sauce so the egg mixture is bright orange (about 1 cup). Season the chicken. Dip the seasoned chicken in the egg, and then coat well in the flour. Place the chicken in the preheated oil and fry the chicken in the oil until brown and crisp. Dark meat takes longer than white meat. Approximate cooking time is 13 to 14 minutes for dark meat and 8 to 10 minutes for white meat.

Variations in cooking

Mary Randolph, in the third printing of "Virginia House-Wife" (1828), told how to make fried chicken. Very simply, the chickens are cut up, dredged in flour, sprinkled with a little salt, put in a skillet with hot fat, and fried until golden brown.

• Paula Deen says add enough hot sauce so the egg mixture is bright orange in color and her choice of oil is peanut oil.

• Some people will tell you to remove the skin before battering, while others swear by double-dipping the chicken.

• Some fry in oil, some in butter, others in lard or bacon grease.

• The recipe in "The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery" recommends browning before covering, then frying slowly and turning frequently.

• Camille Glenn, in "The Heritage of Southern Cooking" states that chicken is not dipped in milk, crumbs, or batter, simply flour.

• The recipe in "Bill Neal's Southern Cooking" requires a soaking in buttermilk.

• James Villas, in "American Taste," soaks his chicken pieces overnight in milk and lemon juice, and cooks them in vegetable shortening with the addition of 4 tablespoons of bacon grease.

• The few things everyone seems to agree on are that the skillet has to be a well-seasoned black iron one (preferably deep and with a cover), the chicken must be young and lean, and that fried chicken should be eaten with the fingers. Source: southern food

Cream Gravy

3 tablespoons drippings from frying chicken

3 tablespoons flour

2 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup cream

salt and pepper

Pour all drippings from skillet into a small bowl; measure and return 3 tablespoons to the skillet and place over medium heat. Stir in flour until well blended, scraping up brown bits from bottom of skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbly. Gradually add milk and cream; boil until thickened and creamy, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the chicken, along with a side potatoes.

A look into other related Holidays

• Chicken Soup for the Soul Day

• National Chicken Month: September

• National Chicken Lady Day

• International Respect for Chickens Day

• National Sandwich Month: August

• Barbecue Month

• Hamburger Month

Chicken Related

• Chicken Recipes

• Buttermilk Fried Chicken

• Healing Chicken Noodle Soup