DIY Fried Chicken Sandwich

The creation of a fried chicken sandwich from Popeyes has caused fried chicken lovers across the United States to lose their damn minds. The hype over this sandwich has caused people to pull out guns upon learning their local restaurant has sold out of the sandwich; because of the different partners and suppliers used in this country, Canada won't see this sandwich anytime soon. So what's a hungry Canadian supposed to do in the meantime? One could wait until the sandwich makes its way up here, or they could go across the border and hope for the best, but I propose that people save time and money by making the sandwich with the recipe below. It may not be the real thing, but you can make it Louisiana fast and enjoy it until Popeyes gets its act together.

Ingredients:

4 hamburger buns or medium-sized brioche buns
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
720-960 mL canola oil for frying
240 mL buttermilk
5 g each paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, salt
240 g flour
120 g corn starch
15 g each paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper
5 g each salt, pepper
120 g mayonaisse
5 g hot sauce
5 g paprika or cajun or taco seasoning
2.5 g garlic powder
Sliced pickles

1. Pound the chicken breasts in between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise to make 2 small pieces of chicken about the same size as the bun.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the buttermilk and the 5-gram portions of the paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Add the chicken to the mix and place in the fridge to marinate up to 24 hours or use right away. 
3. In a medium shallow bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, and the 15-gram portions of the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper (if you want it spicy) together. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of the buttermilk batter into the flour mixture and mix it through with a fork.
4. Heat oil in a large heavy-duty skillet or pot on medium temperature or until the temperature reaches 176°C. Working with a piece at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and press some of the flour on the top of the chicken breast to form a thick crust. Transfer the chicken to hot oil and fry for 3-5 minutes per side or until the outside is crispy and golden and the internal temperature reaches 75°C. 
5. Melt some butter in a large saucepan and toast the buns face down until golden and crisp. In a small bowl whisk the mayonnaise, the hot sauce, and the remaining spices together and spread a generous layer of the spicy mayo on each bun. Add the chicken and the pickles and serve immediately.
   
   Note: Popeyes might disagree, but I like to add some bacon and some shredded lettuce when I feel like a fried chicken sandwich. 

Comfort Food in Uncomforting Times - My Take on the KFC Double Down

On November 8, the United States decided love does not trump hate and elected an orange goblin to be its next president. In surprising numbers, people decided Hillary Clinton's pantsuits and poor e-mail usage were a worse offense than being Donald Trump, a failed businessman, reality show host, and admitted sexual predator who said he could solve all of America's problems with racism and bullshit. I didn't watch last Tuesday's results unfold on television because the coverage of election over the last 18 months had worn me out. Waking up the next morning and seeing just how badly Americans wanted a white man in charge again didn't surprise me as much as I thought it would (never underestimate the stupidity of the American public goes the old adage), it just left me depressed and deflated. Longing for the days when a Trump presidency was just a joke on "The Simpsons", it's times like this when comfort food really hits the spot. No matter what side of the political spectrum you're on, fried chicken, bacon, and cheese is a pleaser. As America doubles down on its race to the bottom, it seems right to make my own version of KFC's seasonal treat (for those who forgot, the Double Down is bacon, slices of Monterey Jack and pepper Jack cheese, and a spicy "secret" sauce in between two fried chicken fillets). I know I can't eat my worries away, but it's going to be a long four years, might as well eat something tasty. Enjoy this recipe, and may God have mercy on our souls.

Ingredients (makes 2 sandwiches)

4 boneless chicken breasts
4 strips of bacon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
375 mL buttermilk (Or use this substitute, 375 mL milk minus 15 mL plus 15 mL lemon juice or vinegar.)
your favourite hot sauce
salt

250 g flour
60 g paprika
45 g white pepper
30 g garlic salt
15 g celery salt
15 g black pepper
15 g dried mustard
15 g ground ginger
10 g salt
7 g tablespoon thyme
7 g tablespoon basil
5 g tablespoon oregano

Note: The spices above are allegedly the ones uses in Colonel Sanders' original chicken recipe.

1. Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them with the flat side of a meat tenderizer until they are roughly the same thickness. Place the chicken in a bowl, give them a generous sprinkling of salt, and cover them with the buttermilk for at least an hour, four hours max.
2. Cook the bacon however you see fit. When I have the time, I like to bake bacon in the oven at about 205 °C for about 10 to 20 minutes, until it is crispy. Set the bacon aside when done.
3. Combine the flour and the spices in a bowl. Take a chicken breast and covered it with the flour mixture, then cover it in the egg mixture, and back again in the flour mixture for another coating. Set the pieces aside when done.
4. Whether you pan fry or have a deep fryer, get your oil to 182 °C in order to get the internal chicken temperature to an optical 72 °C. Place two chicken breasts in the oil, and fry them for about eight minutes.
   
   Note: If you have access to a pressure cooker, use that for frying your chicken to be even more like the Colonel; wearing a white suit is optional.
   
   
5. Using the breasts like bread, assemble the cheese, the bacon, and the hot sauce into a sandwich. 

For the Love of Popeyes Chicken

Most people when they hear the name "Popeye", they think of the lovable spinach-eating sailor man from Saturday morning cartoons, but it makes me think of my favourite fried chicken fast food restaurant. Established in 1972, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has been making mild and spicy fried chicken along with sides such as red beans and rice, Cajun fries and mashed potatoes that beat anything that the Colonel has to offer. The first time I ate at the apostrophe-free Popeyes was back in 1991. I was in New York visiting my cousins, and we stopped there before going to see "Boyz in the Hood". I remember loving how tasty and non-greasy the chicken was, and lamenting that we didn't have a restaurant like that back home. I didn't get another taste of "Louisiana Fast" until over a decade later when I discovered there was a Popeyes in Toronto during a visit with my future wife. She too became a Popeyes convert. I made more converts when I took a trip to Detroit with some friends sometime later when we were visiting a friend living in London at the time; to this day, one of my boys says he'd take "a bullet in the ass" for some Popeyes. My love of this place may have caused me to oversell its greatness, as some friends of mine who have tried the food there didn't think it was as amazing as I described it, but even then, they agreed that it was better than the chicken they had at KFC (or Dixie Lee, or Church's for that matter). But now that Ottawa finally has a Popeyes location, with another now at Orleans location to taste for yourself. (Updated: Feb. 12, 2015)

NOTE: I have not been paid by AFC Enterprises to produce this blog entry, but if Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen wants to send some free food my way because of this, I won't object.