Time Stretcher Recipe®
Please don’t get me wrong, I love Southern Fried Chicken, but I really doubt that anybody can honestly say that either Southern or Dutch style is better. The foundation for this recipe came to me by way of a friend who in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s owned a small chain of fried chicken restaurants (with delivery) in Central Pennsylvania called “Dutch Chicken”. During that time tens of thousands of folks visited the restaurants or had chicken dinners delivered and they just kept coming back.
I’ve added a little more depth to the seasonings in this version but the super-secret ingredient is the same… peanut butter, it somehow keeps the herbs from burning in the hot oil and adds a really nice background flavor.
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Chicken parts with or without skin.
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Peanut Butter, 2 tsp per chicken part.
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Chef Nick’s Fried Chicken Blend, ½ tsp per chicken part.
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One whole egg for each four chicken parts.
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All purpose flour, 2 tsp for each chicken part.
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Corn starch, ½ tsp for each chicken part.
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PLAIN bread crumbs, 1 tbsp for each chicken part.
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Milk or Half-n-Half, 1 tbsp per chicken part.
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Peanut oil, enough for deep frying.
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The chicken must be COMPLETELY submerged in the oil for proper cooking. Preheat the oil to 370°F (188°C). Also, preheat your oven to 200°F (93°C).
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Please read Preparing Chicken for Frying.
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Add the milk, eggs, and peanut butter to a bowel big enough to just hold the largest chicken part and thoroughly whisk.
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Add the Fried Chicken Blend, corn starch, and flour to a “zip bag”, close and shake until they are very well blended.
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Put the PLAIN bread crumbs in another zip bag.
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Repeat the next three steps for each piece of chicken.
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Put ONE piece of chicken in the “flour” zip bag, close, and shake until well coated. Shake off any excess mixture back into the zip bag.
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Dip the “floured” chicken part in the “egg wash” making sure its well coated. Let the excess drip back into the bowl.
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Put the wet chicken part into the bread crumbs zip bag, close, and shake until well coated. Shake off any excess.
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Put the coated chicken part onto a “drying rack” but DO NOT try putting it on paper towel… it’ll take the breading off.
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Put no more than three chicken pieces at a time into the hot oil and cook until they are an even peanut butter brown. DO NOT overcook them. When done, remove them from the hot oil to a drying rack placed in a sheet pan and put in the hot oven.
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For each batch of chicken placed in the hot oil, cook them for 20 seconds LONGER than the batch before. Remember, the stuff in the oven is still cooking and you want the last batch of chicken from the fryer to be “just” fully done without the first batch being cardboard.
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Now, go eat your chicken.
Of course any of the traditional side dishes such as mashed potatoes or cole slaw will work well with our Dutch Fried Chicken. But you may want to consider some of the international side dishes in this collection such as the Jamaican Pink Rice and Peas as a way to make the meal a bit more adventurous.