Food Talk: Have ya'll ever had California Fried Chicken (Tyler Florence)?

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* sounds delicious but difficult as HELL to actually make at home...

Tyler Florence insists that his signature fried chicken at Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco isn’t Southern-fried. “It’s California-fried,” he says. The intensive cooking process infuses the meat with incredible flavor. Florence starts with Mary’s organic chicken from Petaluma (a town once known as the chicken capital of the world because of its many poultry farms). He sous vides the breasts, legs and wings separately with olive oil, sage, rosemary and thyme then plunges the bags in ice water to stop cooking. After the pieces rest overnight, Florence drops the chicken into a buttermilk wash seasoned with hot sauce and salt. “Then we dip the chicken in my grandmother’s mixture of flour heavily seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper,” he says. Finally, he fries the chicken in oil seasoned with fresh sage, rosemary and thyme. “The chicken comes out super crispy on the outside and incredibly soft on the inside,” he says. “It’s turned out the be the defining dish in the restaurant, and I’m very proud of it.”

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe/fried-chicken-tyler-florence-20084597

• Ingredients:

• 2 Three to Three and a half pound Organic Chickens

• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Ground Black Pepper

• 3 Tablespoons Kosher Salt

• 3 Bunches Rosemary

• 3 Bunches Thyme

• 3 Bunches Sage

• 3 Heads of Garlic

• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil

• 1 Gallon Buttermilk

• 1 small bottle Crystal Hot Sauce/Tabasco (will use about 2 tablespoons)

• 6 Cup AP Flour

• 1/4 Cup Garlic Powder

• 1/4 Cup Onion Powder

• 3 Tablespoons of Salt

• 3 Tablespoons of black pepper

• 1 Tablespoon Flaked Salt (Maldon)

• 8 Quarts Peanut Oil

• 4 Lemons, cut into wedges

• Equipment:

• Knife block stocked with sharp knives

• Cutting board safe for raw chicken

• Large seasoning pan for Chicken

• Roasting pan with wire rack large enough to hold 2 chickens with a minimum 1 1/2" space between

• Cookie sheet lined with paper towels to land the fried chicken

• 12 quart heavy-bottom cast-iron dutch oven for frying the chicken

• Large Bowl for mixing the finished flour

• 4 ramekins with the measured flour seasoning

• Large Bowl for buttermilk

• Spider and or large tongs for the fryer

• Brown Parchment Paper or Paper Bag

• Butcher's twine

• Internal meat thermometer for baking chicken

• Candy or Fryer Thermometer for fryer

• 10 kitchen towels

• Pepper Grinder

• Small Bowl with course sea salt (Maldon/Fleur de sel)

Cooking Directions
Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°F. Truss the chicken legs with butcher's twine by tying them together in a tight knot. Season the bird aggressively with salt and pepper. Rough chop 1 bunch each of the rosemary, thyme, and sage and mix with the olive oil. Rub the mixture on the bird so the herbs stick to the skin. Place the seasoned bird in a roasting pan with an elevated rack and place in the oven.

After 2.5 hours, remove the chicken from the oven and chill immediately. The internal temperature between the breast and the thigh near the bone should be 150°F.

*Note the chicken is still not safe to eat at this stage and you will see some pink on the bone. The appearance of the chicken should be moist, blonde, and softer than roasted chicken. Imagine cooking the chicken to 80% complete. The other 20% will happen in the deep fryer.

Once the chicken is completely chilled, butcher the bird down into 10 pieces with the breast boneless and cut the breast piece in half. You will end up with a wing, leg, thigh, and 2 pieces breast meat per side of the chicken.

In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk and season with salt, pepper, and the hot sauce. Use enough hot sauce to make the milk a light pink color. Submerge the chicken in the buttermilk and let sit in the refrigerator for thirty minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and mix thoroughly. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk (do not dry) and dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off excess flour before frying. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes during the time it takes the oil to reach temperature. The goal is for the first coating of flour to become wet and gummy on the surface of the chicken. Prior to frying the chicken dust the chicken again with the seasoned flour. This step will insure the coating sticks to the skin.

Pre -heat oil in a large heavy bottom pot to 375°F. Fry the remaining herbs and garlic till crisp to perfume the oil and set aside for garnish later. Without over-crowding the pot, fry the breaded chicken until all of the pieces are golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a pan lined with a paper towel and season the freshly fried chicken with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Use a paper bag or brown parchment paper to line the bottom of the platter. Pile the chicken and garnish with the fried herbs and garlic. Serve with fresh lemon wedges.

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence.

http://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/Video-Tyler-Florence-Wayfare-Tavern-Fried-6266861.php

 

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* bonus

 

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http://www.sfchronicle.com/recipes/article/Tyler-Florence-s-California-style-Southern-6351901.php

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/lif...ce-gives-his-family-fried-chicken-6368773.php

Wayfare Tavern's Fried Chicken

Makes 8 servings



For roasting

1½ tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves plus 4 sprigs

1½ tablespoons minced fresh thyme plus 4 sprigs

1½ tablespoons minced fresh sage plus 4 sprigs

10 bay leaves: 5 minced, 5 left whole

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup olive oil

2 (3- to 3½-pound) organic chickens



FOR DREDGING AND FRYING

1 quart buttermilk

1 tablespoon hot sauce (Crystal or Tabasco)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 gallon grapeseed or canola oil

1 head garlic

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup rice flour

¼ cup garlic powder

¼ cup onion powder

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Flaky sea salt, for serving

2 lemons, cut into wedges, for serving

Instructions to roast the chickens: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the chopped herbs, minced bay leaves, minced garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil to make a paste. Rub the mixture on the chickens, place the seasoned birds in a roasting pan and put in the oven. After about 2½ hours, remove the chicken from the oven. The internal temperature between the breast and the thigh near the bone should be 150 degrees. At this stage, the chicken is cooked three-quarters of the way through. Let cool enough so you can handle.

Marinate the chickens: Cut the parcooked chickens into 10 pieces: Cut off the wings, drumsticks and thighs, and cut breast pieces in half. (Save backs for stock.) Put the buttermilk in a large bowl and season with hot sauce and sugar. Add the chicken pieces and let sit 30 minutes at room temperature.

Prepare the oil: Pour the oil into a large, wide heavy-bottom pot, making sure there is at least 3 inches of clearance over the level of the oil. Turn the heat to medium-high. Break apart the head of garlic into cloves, but do not peel the cloves. Add the whole garlic cloves, rosemary, thyme and sage sprigs and the remaining five whole bay leaves to the oil. As the oil heats, the herbs and garlic will perfume the oil. When the herbs are crisp and the garlic is a light golden brown (about 10-15 minutes), use a spider or slotted spoon to remove them from the oil; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside.

Prepare the dredge: While oil heats, combine flours, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk (do not dry) and dredge each piece well in flour mixture. Discard the buttermilk and the remaining flour mixture.

When the oil reaches 375 degrees on a candy or deep-fry thermometer, add as many chicken pieces as will fit without crowding (up to half the pieces). Fry, turning the pieces occasionally, until all of the pieces are golden brown, 6-8 minutes, and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer to a flattened paper bag to drain. Let the oil return to temperature; fry the remaining chicken as directed above.

When all of the chicken has been fried and drained, transfer to a platter or wooden cutting board and season with flaky salt. Pile the fried herbs and garlic on top of the chicken and serve with wedges of lemon.