| Pictured above… |
| Northern Fried Chicken with a Watermelon and Arugula Salad |
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| The spice mixture gives this Fried Chicken its kick |
What makes this recipe so incredibly good? There’s no overnight soaking in buttermilk, nothing complex at all. There’s a bath in egg white followed by a dip into a simple mixture of Flour and Matzo meal. Matzo meal gives this chicken its Northern moniker. But it’s two other elements that add immeasurably to its delicious taste. The first is a simple spice mixture with Cajun overtones that you sprinkle as generously as you like over the finished chicken. It adds just the right note of salt and spice to the dish. And there’s a drizzle of honey that delivers the coup de grace, a lovely encounter with sweetness atop the crispy chicken.
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| Bee’s Needs Honey is locally produced and gives the dish a sweet coup de grace |
The last time I made this recipe, I was having 8 people to dinner so I made 3 chickens. It was so popular three of the guests asked to take some home. It’s worth making a lot of it because the leftovers can be quickly re-heated and the honey drizzled over them to get the whole affect. There is a lot of splatter with this dish and I’d use a deep pan to try minimize it. Also, be sure the separate the dark meat from the white and cook the former about three minutes longer. Even though the breasts may be bigger in size, they dry out if you cook them too long. 10 minute seems ideal. The golden crust is as good an indicator that the chicken is done as any thermometer. I cook the chicken in batches, putting what’s been cooked into the warming oven. Ours has three heat setting and also a ‘dry/moist’ lever. I set the heat on high and the lever to dry. I leave the chicken in the oven until serving time. I am sure you can serve this at room temperature but we like ours hot. And please don’t leave forget the honey. It’s the icing on the cake. Here’s the recipe:
Northern Fried Chicken from the Bromberg Brothers
A fantastic take on Fried Chicken made even more flavorful with a Spice and Salt blend then drizzled with honey.
Ingredients
- Canola Oil for frying
- 1⁄2 tsp. hot paprika
- 1⁄8 tsp. each cayenne pepper, dried basil,
- dried parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder
- 4 egg whites, beaten
- 1⁄2 cup flour
- 1⁄2 cup matzo meal
- 1⁄4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 3-lb. chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Honey, for dipping
Directions
- Step 1 1. Pour oil to a depth of 2″ in a 5-qt. Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 375°.
- Step 2 2. Combine paprika, cayenne, basil, parsley, and garlic and onion powders in a bowl, set aside. Put egg whites into a bowl. Combine flour, matzo, and baking powder in another bowl. 3. Working with one piece at a time, dip chicken in egg whites and press into matzo to coat. Shake off excess
- Step 3 Transfer chicken to a rack set inside a baking sheet. Working in 2 batches, fry chicken until crispy and cooked through, 10–12 minutes. Transfer chicken to paper towels and season with salt, pepper, and the reserved paprika mixture. Serve with honey.
Very interesting – the South is having a fit, but this certainly was a surprise! New York Jewish brothers fried chicken – luv it! I don't think I've ever seen Matzo meal, but then again, I've never looked for it. The recipe is friendly, and the coating looks very light, but crispy. And you are right, need to do this with a crowd as the two person home here, would plow thru a whole fryer full, and I am not a big fan of any reheated fried food. You mentioned you used a deep pan for 3 birds, have you ever tried it with a fryer or other? I have a fryer, but for the portion, I would probably go with cast iron skillet. Thank you Monte – it's been a long time since we had fried chicken!
Ana, you'll find Matzo meal in the ethnic foods section. As far as the pan goes, I have an old cast iron pot that I use exclusively for frying. But it was not big enough to hold even one chicken–never mind 3. So I did the legs and wings, the thighs and breasts separately. I wish I had a fryer but honestly, this is about the only dish we 'fry'. I do love how the word
"saute" had replaced 'fry' in the cooking lexicon. Do make this! If you use Canola Oil, it's practically diet food! 😉
OMG – this chicken is delicious. My Southern sister-in-law was coming to visit and I thought this was the perfect time to try Northern fried chicken. I had no problem finding Matzo meal even in my Texas supermarket. I fried it outside on a single burner attached to the grill. No mess! I served it with carrot orzo, one of our favorite side dish. The meal was a huge hit !
Nothing but nothing could warm this Northerner’s heart that know that Northern Fried Chicken was served and loved deep in the heart of Texas. Thanks so much for writing!