Poultry
Dennis' KFC

  • 1 egg, well beaten
  • 1 cup non fat milk or soy milk
  • 1 whole 3-1/2 to 4 pound chicken
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon finely ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 quarts canola oil

Combine the beaten egg and milk in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken pieces.

Expose the thigh bone by placing the heel of your hand along the backbone of the thigh and bending the the thigh until the perpendicular thigh bone joint pops out of the non-skin side of the thigh. Fold the small end of each wing under the joint where it was removed from the breast. This allows the thighs to cook thoroughly without overcooking the wings. Put all the pieces in the egg wash, making sure each piece is coated.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Heat the canola oil over medium heat in a good quality 6-quart or larger pressure cooker. Use a good quality thermometer and a high quality stainless steel pressure cooker with a sturdy silicone seal or a cast aluminum cooker with a metal-to-metal seal. Pressure frying is not something that should be done in that $29 bargain pressure cooker.

When the oil reaches 375F, bread the thighs, pressing firmly to thoroughly coat with the flour mixture. Carefully drop the thighs into the hot oil, stirring once. Raise the heat to high, and immediately bread and drop in the remaining pieces, two at a time, starting with the breasts, then the legs, and finally the wings, giving a quick stir after dropping in each two pieces. The coating should be lightly browned within a minute or two.

Carefully cap the pressure cooker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the proper pressure is reached (approximately 10 psi, determined by the type of cooker you’re using - some have a popup, others a gauge and weight), turn the heat to medium and cook for 12 minutes for a 3-1/2 pound chicken to 15 minutes for a 4 pound chicken.

Turn off the heat and release the pressure according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Remove the chicken to a wire rack to rest and drain for 10 minutes.

Notes

I worked in a KFC franchise when I was in high school and college in the early 1970s. This recipe uses exactly the same method, but there are a few ingredient changes to make it less unhealthy - mainly a whole lot less salt, skinless, fat-trimmed chicken, and canola oil for frying, which has much lower levels of saturated fat than the beef tallow used back then. Further, while the marketing propaganda touts the famous "11 herbs and spices," aside from the salt, pepper, and garlic powder, the proportions are so minuscule that you can't tell the difference without them.