Tennessee’s Date of Statehood – June 1st, 1796
There are some days when you’re in the mood for a crisp, cold salad. Light and refreshing! But then there are some days when all you want is the perfect hot and crispy fried chicken. You want to bask in the glory of old-fashioned comfort food. Well friends, look no further than the borders of Tennessee! This meal had it all; chicken fried to juicy perfect covered in some SPICY sauce, tender greens, and velvety-rich creamed corn. It was a meal truly worth of a nap! Delicious!
Tips and Tricks
- The secret to perfectly crunchy but not greasy fried chicken is temperature control. So, it is very important that you stay by the frying pan and watch the thermometer the WHOLE time and adjust the heat up and down as needed to keep the temperature in a VERY small range (320-325 degrees.)
- In order to do #1 above, make ALL your side dishes ahead of time.
- After frying ANYTHING, remove the item from the oil and let it drain on a wire rack that is placed over several layers of paper towels. Never drain anything ON paper towels or newspaper, because that allows the food to sit in the oil and become soggy.
- Do not be tempted to crowd the pan to fry everything at once. The chicken will still be hot and delicious even if you have to fry in two different batches.
- When making the dip and dredge for the chicken, I like to use a loaf pan for the dry dredge. It’s an easy way to keep the flour in a concentrated place.
- Using pre-cut greens is fine but be advised that you will end up with a lot of stems. Cleaning and cutting your own greens is time consuming, but you will have more greens and less stem.
- You can fry any part of the chicken you like, but my favorite is chicken thighs. It is basically white meat that stays moister longer than breast meat. It is also more forgiving when it comes to over-cooking.
Nashville Hot Chicken
Serves 4-6
Dry Brine
- 3 lbs. Chicken Thighs, bone-in and skin-on
- 1 Tbs Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Dip
- 1 Cup Whole Milk
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Tbs Hot Sauce (I used Franks Red Hot)
Dredge
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Salt
Spicy Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Crisco
- 2 Tbs Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbs Light Brown Sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Other
- Vegetable Oil, for frying
- Dill Pickle Slices, for serving
Step 1: In a large bowl, toss the chicken thighs with the 1 Tbs of salt and 1 1/2 tsp of black pepper until the meat is evenly seasoned. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the chicken overnight.
Step 2: Once the chicken has been dry-brined, remove it from the bowl and pat dry. Add a large amount of vegetable oil to a large skillet with high sides the oil should come up about halfway up the sides. I find 1 large 48 oz. container of vegetable oil is enough to fry all the chicken.) Place a probe thermometer in the oil and turn the heat to medium-low.
Step 3: While the oil is heating slowly, it’s time to make the dip and the dredge. In a wide bowl, whisk together the 1 cup whole milk, 2 eggs, and 1 Tbs hot sauce until well combined. Set aside. In a shallow dish or loaf pan, whisk together the 2 Cups of all-purpose flour and the 2 tsp salt. Set this next to the dip bowl.
Step 4: Take a chicken thigh and dredge it in the flour mixture. Gently shake off any excess flour. Then, dip the floured chicken thigh in the egg/milk mixture. Then take the wet chicken thigh and dredge it again in the flour mixture, be sure to gently shake off the excess.
Step 5: When the probe thermometer says that the oil has reached 320 degrees, add the chicken. 3 lbs. of chicken thighs is about 6 thighs, so fry 3 at a time, if you pan can handle that amount without overcrowding. Keep the oil temperature between 320 and 325 by lower and raising the temperature as needed throughout the frying.
Step 6: Fry the chicken thighs for about 12 minutes per side, or until the outside is a deep golden brown and the internal temperature near the bone shows the meat at 165 degrees. When the chicken is cooked through, remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and allow the chicken to drain on a metal rack placed over paper towels.
Step 7: While the chicken is draining, place a small sauce pan with the 1/2 cup of Crisco, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder over medium heat. Once the Crisco has melted (it will do some very quickly) whisk all of the ingredients together to make the spicy sauce. Once the sauce has been thoroughly mixed, brush it generously over the hot fried chicken and serve with pickles.
Tennessee Turnip Greens
Serves 4-6
- 2 lbs. Turnip Greens, washed, stems removed, and chopped
- 1 Tbs Canola Oil
- 3 Slices Smoked Bacon, chopped
- 1 Small Yellow Onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 Cup Diced Country Ham
- 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
- 1/8 Cup Honey
- 1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3 Cups Water
- Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Step 1: Place a large stock pot over low heat. Once the pot is hot, add the canola oil. When the oil is heated and starts to shimmer, add the bacon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 2: Increase the heat to medium-high and add the chopped onions. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the diced ham, crushed red pepper, honey, vinegar, and 3 cups of water. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
Step 4: Add the chopped turnip greens to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook, uncovered, for 4 hours. Stir occasionally and add water as needed to keep a few inches of water at the bottom of the pot.
Step 5: Once the greens have cooked down, add salt and pepper to taste.
Creamed Corn
Serves 4-6
- 5 Cups Corn Kernels, fresh or frozen (do not use canned corn)
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 2 Tbs Salt
- 3 Cups Water
- 1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Step 1: Put 2 cups of corn kernels in one pot and 3 cups of corn kernels in another pot.
Step 2: To the pot with 2 cups of corn add 1 1/2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of the sugar, 1/2 Tbs salt.
Step 3: To the pot with 3 cups of corn add 1 1/2 cups of water, 3/4 cups of sugar, 1 1/2 Tbs salt.
Step 4: Place both pots on the stove on medium heat. Stir to combine and bring the pots to a boil.
Step 5: Once the liquid is boiling, remove the pot with the 3 cups of corn from the heat, drain and discard the cooking liquid, return the corn to the pot, add 1/4 stick of butter, and set aside.
Step 6: Remove the pot with the 2 cups of corn from the heat, drain and discard the cooking liquid, return the corn to the pot, add 1/4 stick of butter and heavy cream. Put the pot back on the medium heat burner and bring the liquid to a boil stirring to melt the butter.
Step 7: Once the liquid starts to boil, remove from the heat and puree in a blender or food processor.
Step 8: Add the pureed corn to the pot with the 3 cups of whole corn. Stir to thoroughly combine and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Step 9: Serve hot.
Fun Facts about Tennessee: 1. Andrew Johnson held every elective office at the local, state, and federal level, including President of the United States. He was elected alderman, mayor, state representative, and state senator from Greeneville, TN. He served as governor and military governor of Tennessee and United States congressman, senator, and vice president, becoming President of the United States following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He was also the President to be impeached. 2. There are more horses per capita in Shelby County than any other county in the United States. 3. Hattie Caraway (1878-1950) born in Bakersville became the first woman United States Senator. 4. The Tennessee Aquarium is the largest facility of its kind to focus on fresh water habitat. It features 7,000 animals and 300 species of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. 5. Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry is the longest continuously running live radio program in the world. It has broadcast every Friday and Saturday night since 1925. 6. Tennessee has more than 3,800 documented caves. 7. The name “Tennessee” originated from the old Yuchi Indian word, “Tana-see,” meaning “The Meeting Place.”
Edible U.S. 