This is especially true when ordering for a large party. And even more true when the food will not be consumed immediately. Nothing more tragic than eating well-curated fried chicken from Honeybird’s or Howlin Ray’s hours after its been cooked, and then hours after its been sitting around a buffet table.
Plus, Most people at big gatherings will not care, nor notice, the pedigree of the chicken (organic, free-range, Mary’s, or whatever), the type of prep (brined, seasoned, etc.) or how well it’s actually cooked or fried. They just want salty, greasy, and maybe even a bit fatty fried chicken.
And for that, fast-food or supermarket fried chicken hits the sweet spot perfectly.
Exactly. If I were feeding 10 foodie friends, I’d spend the money to get a nice upscale product because they would appreciate it for what it is. If I’m feeding 100 people for a backyard pool party, I’m ordering chicken from Albertsons, because 90 of those people just want food, and probably don’t care whether the chicken received daily massages and organic feed.
I agree. If you eat the fried chicken immediately, then quality would be important. But when you take it home and let it sit for some time while the guests show up, it won’t taste as good. Just go for something decent and affordable.
I don’t know about that. Fried chicken has been a classic picnic food for centuries because it holds well at room temperature. Of course this requires some excellent frying skills. I judge fried food by how good it is later. Tempura, fried spring rolls, fried zucchini: if the batter and frying are right, they can be an excellent midnight snack.
@Haeldaur. The last two times I picked up chicken at Honey Kettle, it was so salty even the kids barely ate it. Their batter used to be peppery and slightly salty, now it seems barely edible. And they rarely have fried fish anymore, and even when they do, it’s dry and fishy tasting. Hopefully a blip and they’ll get consistent again.
Room temp not terribly long after frying is fine for me. COLD? Yuck. Unless - as you say - pull off the skin and toss and use the meat for something else.
Somebody mentioned Albertson’s. Here, that’s now SaveMart and their fried chicken is quite good. Safeway’s is usually over cooked.
True, but fried chicken at a large party is not cold. Nor is it leftover.
In this case it is lukewarm, room-temp fried chicken. Which really just accentuates all that could be potentially wrong with fried-meat-on-the-bone foodstuffs.
Well, that kinda brings up something I’d thought of but not mentioned. Why fried chicken? Seems like so many other options…but that’s not what OP asked.
You are made of sterner stuff than I. My self control barely allows me to make it to the sink instead of having my head in the fridge with the door open. I can’t even comprehend waiting for it to warm up if I’m craving it as a snack.
