Fried chicken with noodles, leek and mushroom cream sauce

 I'm recording the way I pulled this together, because it seemed like a logical order to me and because I can only do about one thing at a time.

 

 Equipment:

2 bowls

2 pie tins

A deep skillet, such as a cast-iron chicken fryer, or a Dutch oven

another oven-proof skillet or pan big enough to hold the chicken

wire whisk

tongs

potholders

a plate

a rimmed container 

a turner aka "spatula"

a saucepan in the 3-quart range

 

 For the chicken:

Four thighs, approx 2 lbs. if skin on, bone in

about 2 cups canola oil

about 1 cup of rice flour

about 1 cup of crushed saltines (easiest way is a zip-lock bag, which can be re-used, and a rolling pin) *if you need gluten-free, you can crush Rice Krispies instead of crackers

2 eggs and 2 T water

salt, pepper, etc. 

Instant-read thermometer or probe thermometer

 

For the sauce: 

1 leek

about a pint of mushrooms

about half a cup of cream

salt, pepper, etc. (you decide)

Noodles -- I like the dried "homestyle egg noodles" but some day will make my own.

Get the chicken ready

For the crispiest skin, blot the chicken with paper towel, salt it, and put it in a rimmed container, uncovered, the fridge for about an hour. The rimmed container is to keep any juices that are drawn out from dripping all over. Don't let the raw chicken touch anything else in the fridge. 

Make the leek/mushroom mixture

Clean and chop one leek. I cut off the really green leafy parts and the rooty end (just a sliver), slice the leek in half and rinse it  off under running water, spreading the inner green and white "leaves" or layers apart to rinse out any dirt. If the outermost layers are exceptionally dirty or rubbery-tough, I discard them. All the discard goes into the compost bucket to be turned into garden gold!

Clean and slice about a pint of mushrooms. I like creminis, aka "Baby Bellas."

Put a couple of tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat and sweat the leeks, then add the mushrooms, stirring occasionally with the spatula to make sure nothing is sticking or burning. You don't want them browned, just softened.  I like the leeks to be almost "melted." Some people might like more crunch.

Remove to a bowl if you are going to use the same skillet to fry the chicken. Be sure to get all the veggies out -- wipe the pan with paper towel if you need to -- because they will burn in the hot oil when you are frying the chicken. 

Bread the chicken 

I use two pie pans and a bowl. Put the rice flour in one pan and the cracker crumbs in the other. Crack the two eggs into the bowl, add the water and whisk thoroughly. Add salt and pepper and whatever other herbs and spices you want to each of the containers. 

Pat the chicken dry again and dredge each piece on both sides in the rice flour, paying special attention to getting all of the skin coated, then in the egg mixture, then in the cracker crumbs.

Fry the chicken 

Use a cast iron chicken fryer or Dutch oven if you can. Put about 2 inches of oil and heat it until a drop of water sputters and disappears. Or use a thermometer, but I never saw Grandma do that. Slide the thighs in, preferably skin side down, releasing each one AWAY from you so you don't get splashed. You can use a pair of tongs if you wish. Don't crowd the pan. If the thighs are large, you might need to do two batches. 

While you are waiting, preheat the oven to 350, and use the time to do some cleanup. Make sure anything that has touched the raw chicken gets thoroughly washed, preferably in the dishwasher.

Fry on one side without moving for 3-4 minutes, until deep golden brown on that side. Carefully turn them over and fry for another 3 minutes or so until the other side is deep golden brown. The chicken is NOT DONE yet, but you are done frying. As you remove each piece from the skillet, put it in the ovenproof pan and cover that with aluminum foil. 

When all of the chicken has been fried and the oven has reached 350, remove the foil and put the chicken in the oven for about 15 minutes.

 Meanwhile, cook the noodles -- This is a good time to put the water on to boil. Follow the package directions.

 

 Dark meat like the thighs are supposed to be cooked until the interior of the meat -- not the pan, not the bone, so be careful where you insert the thermometer -- is 175. In reality, there will be some "carryover" heat build-up, so I pull them a little sooner, but you might want to start by reaching 175. *if you are using breasts instead of thighs for some reason, they only need to reach 165, and 160 will get you there with carryover

By now the skilllet should be cool enough to allow you to pour the oil into a heat-proof container, such as a Pyrex measuring cup or even a glass jelly jar. If you plan to save it, you'll need to strain out the bits of coating that have fallen off the chicken. Or you can put the lid on the jelly jar and discard it. Don't poor it down the sink!

Finish the sauce:

Wipe out the skillet so it doesn't have any burned bits of the breading. Put the leeks and mushrooms back in to reheat, add the cream. Stir while it thickens a bit. Taste and season if necessary.

To plate, you can either drain the noodles or pull some out with tongs. Spoon some of the sauce onto the noodles and add a chicken thigh.

Make sure you have turned off the oven and all of the burners.

Bon Appetit!