Fried Chicken a la Cordelia Knott

[grasswire]

I found the following recipe on the Internet about twelve years ago. I've made it several times, and it is very good. To be nostalgic for Mrs. Knott's original dinner, serve the chicken with a side of stewed rhubarb, some hot buttermilk biscuits with butter and boysenberry jam, mashed potatoes with cream gravy, a side dish of bread and butter pickles.....and for dessert a slice of boysenberry pie. Yum yum!

Here's the recipe:

My first job out of High School was working at the amusement park Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park. On a personal tour given by Mrs. Cordelia Knott herself, I learned the technique of soaking and chilling the chicken in salted water in preparing the famous fried chicken. -- Hope Pryor

1/2 cup kosher salt
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
peanut oil for frying

In a large bowl or pot, dissolve 1/2 cup kosher salt in 3 quarts of water. Rinse chicken pieces and add to bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove chicken pieces, and rinse under cool water, lay out on paper towels.

Mix together the flour and seasonings, and place in a large zip lock style plastic bag. Shake to mix.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the buttermilk.

Dip half the chicken pieces in the buttermilk, then place in the plastic bag. Shake and lay out on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining pieces. Put the rack on a large baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to set.

Pour peanut oil to a depth of 3/4 inches in a large iron dutch oven. Heat over medium-high. When oil is heated, arrange chicken pieces in the pan skin side down and cover the pan. After 5 minutes, remove the cover. Rearrange pieces if some are browning more quickly than others. After 5 more minutes, turn the pieces over. Cook uncovered for 8-10 more minutes, or until done.

Remove the fried chicken to a clean wire rack set over a large paper bag or paper towels and allow to drain.

Serves 4.

[Callalily]

1. This does sound yummy, but . . .

something I'll never make! ;-)

[Lucinda]

2. Thank you! For the recipe and the memory jog...

Haven't thought about Knott's Berry Farm in years. Some of the few family pics I still have are from a trip to Knott's. :)

[EFerrari]

3. I remember thinking KBF was much more fun than Disneyland.

And one of those cowboys on some stage ride was flirting with my mom. lol

Thanks for this recipe. I've never made fried chicken before and will definitely try this one.

[housewolf]

4. Thanks for the memory!

My family lived just a couple miles from Knott's Berry Farm (and just up the street from Disneyland!) from 1964 until 2004. During those early years (I was a teenager then), we spent many summer evenings at Knotts starting with dinner at Mrs Knotts kitchen, followed up with strolls through Ghost Town, exploring the aisles in Virginia's Gift Shop, feeding the seals in the seal pond, and listening to the cowboys sing and carry on. This was in the days before there was an amusement park there. Much fun there when company came to town!

Fun memories, fun time. Lots of Mrs Knott's chicken dinners! Thanks for the memory!

[grasswire]

5. Knott's was very cool in the 60s.

My favorite places were the halls with nickleodeons and player pianos. I love that stuff. Haven't been there in many a moon, though.

[Arkansas Granny]

6. This sounds really good. I haven't made pan fried chicken in a long time.

I'll put this one on the to do list.

[EFerrari]

7. If I don't have kosher salt, should I still use half a cup in the brine?

[EFerrari]

8. Okay, looks like I should use half as much table salt. n/t

[EFerrari]

9. This recipe worked like a charm and was a big hit here.

Mom never eats fried anything but she really enjoyed this and also the recipe history. I wouldn't tweak anything, it's perfect as it is. :)

[grasswire]

10. Great!

I might make it again myself when the weather cools off a bit.

[EFerrari]

11. Would you believe, this was my first batch of fried chicken ever?

No one fried battered chicken in El Salvador, lol, so I never learned how to do it. It used to be a treat you had at your American friends' house. :)