The Secret Ingredient

Welcome back to another story about taking over the big Italian Sunday dinner from my father, Papa B, as he recovers from shoulder surgery. You can find all my other Sunday dinners here.

Sorry for my lack of a post last week. I was a bit under the under the weather but I’m back with a frying vengeance.

Papa B was craving some pasta this week for Sunday dinner. I wasn’t having that. Mama B told me not to worry, that she’d take care of Papa B’s food craving this weekend, so I was off the hook. I was in the mood for something very comforting on this rainy Sunday in Brooklyn.  I went a little old school and chose Fried Chicken from Emeril’s Potluck (the recipe is called Chicken in a Box).

Now, I’ve never made fried chicken before, so I was stoked to try something different.  I cannot stress enough how important it is to let the chicken soak in the buttermilk mixture for at least 24 hours.  It made the chicken moist and really helped the flour to coat the chicken fully.  When it came to the frying, I was kind of nervous about making sure the chicken pieces were cooked fully without burning them.  Using my trusted Dutch oven, I managed to get quite a few pieces right, while burning a couple.

Wifey B and my Sister B (Now Sister D) really enjoyed the chicken, calling the skin crunchy and the meat moist.  We saved Mama B some thighs, and she went to town on them.  The actual prep time for the chicken was easy and the recipe was perfect for someone new to the world of fried chicken.