Estimated Cost: $10.00
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Frying Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Southern buttermilk fried chicken is said to have been one of Dr. King‘s favorite meals. August 28th, 2013 seemed the perfect day to celebrate a speech that comes, if we are lucky, once in a lifetime, with a recipe I hope he would have enjoyed.
After much trial and effort, I’ve found fried chicken to be the alchemy of the culinary world. Successful fried chicken is made up of equal parts science, magic, and spirituality. The magic happens when you combine your heart and a simple scientific concept. Fried chicken needs to be cooked at a consistent temperature of 325 °F.
The easiest way to maintain a consistent temperature when frying is to use an electric skillet. This recipe is based around using an electric skillet, but if you feel confident in maintaining the consistent temperature using other means, more power to you!
1 pkg. whole chicken cut up (2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 wings, 2 breasts each cut in half)
1 cup buttermilk (need a substitution?)
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
canola or vegetable oil
1. Place enough oil in the electric skillet so that it’s about a half inch deep. Preheat the electric skillet to 325°F (about 5-8 minutes).
2. While the oil is heating, mix the buttermilk and egg in a small bowl; whisk until combined. In another small bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper.
3. When the oil is fully heated, dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, then in the buttermilk mixture, then in the flour again, and place in the oil.
4. Cook each piece about four minutes. Once it’s brown, flip it and cook for four more minutes. Remove to a plate with paper towels to drain. Fried chicken can be kept in a 200°F oven until you are ready to serve.
Dr. King’s comments:
Kitchen Survival in the Modern World 
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