Back in 2013, I set out to reverse engineer the recipe for Gus's Fried Chicken (Memphis, Tennessee). I came close on several occasions and re-dedicated myself to cracking the code this year. A recent visit to Memphis allowed me to give the chicken one more taste, being able to pull data from my experiments and reach a final conclusion.
Here follows the recipe. It is based on just one boneless, skinless chicken breast weighing in at 1 pound, and cut into three pieces. It can be adjusted for larger quantities of chicken.
Here is the link to The Fried Chicken Blog (More Information and Comments)
Gus’s Fried Chicken
#1 November 17, 2017
24 hour marinade. Begin the day before you plan to fry the chicken
(Increase these quantities, depending on how much chicken you plan to make)
(Increase these quantities, depending on how much chicken you plan to make)
1 lb (one) boneless skinless chicken breast cut into three pieces
1 cup corn starch
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup water (note: 1 ½ cups is too much. I actually ended up with 1 ¼ cup water and poured off a little water in the morning that had gathered on top of the marinade)
Marinade for 24 hours.
Fry at 325-350 F. Use a neutral vegetable or corn oil. I do not recommend canola oil as it smells like frying fish and adds an unpleasant fish taste to fried foods.
Note, when the exterior crust looks perfect, the interior may still be uncooked. It is the curse of these huge chickens that they sell now. Try your best to buy a 2.5-3 lb chicken.
If it isn't spicy enough, "salt" with Tony Chachere creole seasoning. Next time you make it, increase the amount of cayenne, and/or, add chopped whole serrano chiles or habanero chiles to the marinade.
Now, it is possible that you don't want to fry chicken at home and you are asking, "Where does Jay go in Houston for fried chicken?"
If people are visiting from out of town, I will take them to Barbecue Inn on Crosstimbers at Yale, as it is historically significant and a Houston institution. We don't get barbecue here. We get fried chicken.
Frenchies is another historically significant Houston destination for fried chicken. For my taste, it is too salty. But I am in the minority. Frenchies on Scott Street near TSU should definitely be on your list to try.
Note, when the exterior crust looks perfect, the interior may still be uncooked. It is the curse of these huge chickens that they sell now. Try your best to buy a 2.5-3 lb chicken.
If it isn't spicy enough, "salt" with Tony Chachere creole seasoning. Next time you make it, increase the amount of cayenne, and/or, add chopped whole serrano chiles or habanero chiles to the marinade.
Now, it is possible that you don't want to fry chicken at home and you are asking, "Where does Jay go in Houston for fried chicken?"
If people are visiting from out of town, I will take them to Barbecue Inn on Crosstimbers at Yale, as it is historically significant and a Houston institution. We don't get barbecue here. We get fried chicken.
Frenchies is another historically significant Houston destination for fried chicken. For my taste, it is too salty. But I am in the minority. Frenchies on Scott Street near TSU should definitely be on your list to try.
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