Cookbook giveaway – Fried & True

May 28, 2014 by
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Fried & TrueLee Brian Schrager, creator of the South Beach and New York City Wine Festivals, and Adeena Sussman, who has co-authored several cookbooks including many with Food Network host Ellie Krieger, join forces to discover the best regional fried chicken recipes in their new cookbook, Fried & True.

You can read about the “Cluck Team,” as the authors refer to themselves (along with photographer Evan Sung), in our author profile.

We’re excited to offer three copies of the book to EYB members.

For your chance to win a copy of Fried & True, just answer this question in the comments below: What is your “secret ingredient” or method for making perfect fried chicken?

Additional rules are:

  • Please make certain you have signed in to the EYB website (you don’t have to be a paid member). This ensures that we have your email address and can get in contact with you.
  • One entry per member please. Additional entries will be deleted before the winners are chosen.
  • The giveaway will expire in 4 weeks on June 25, 2014.

This contest is closed.  The three lucky winners, selected by random number generator, are MarthaL, jknows, and RickPearson54.

Category: Cookbook Giveaways

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94 Comments

  • pgarcia  on  May 28, 2014

    Use a really deep pot so you don't make a total mess!

  • rivergait  on  May 28, 2014

    Use thighs, not breasts, to ensure juiciness. (I don't happen to like breast meat, which makes this advice easy to take.)

  • Ambrosia  on  May 28, 2014

    Buttermilk. Not much of a secret, but . . .

  • MotherWouldKnow  on  May 28, 2014

    I don't have a secret ingredient or method – I don't know how to make really great fried chicken, which is why I need this book! (I bake, broil, grill and stir-fry chicken. I even cook it in a tagine, but sadly this nice Jewish girl from NY has no clue how to fry it.

  • gqbrave  on  May 28, 2014

    I think the secret to frying ANYTHING is controlling the temperature of the oil. If the oil is too hot, the food won't cook through before the outside is burnt. If the oil isn't hot enough, the food will absorb a lot of oil.

  • Zosia  on  May 28, 2014

    The blend of seasonings I use in the flour coating is my secret recipe.

  • Kaddyshack  on  May 28, 2014

    I've never actually made fried chicken. Though I sure do love to eat it!

  • stardust4300  on  May 28, 2014

    My only secret that I will offer up here is my cast iron skillet. Me and my neighbor tested ours for color, moistness, texture and taste, she added a drop of red food color to get the brown color I had ?? Never heard of that it was almost as brown as mine.!

  • pwsnook  on  May 28, 2014

    I start by trying different expert recipes, mastering a few tried and true techniques, and then I make it my own. My fried chicken is currently a work in progress!

  • Shazah  on  May 28, 2014

    I too have never made fried chicken, but I love to eat it, and of course I was drawn to this book in the competition so I'd have a good chance at learning how to do it properly, thanks!

  • jknows  on  May 28, 2014

    I fry with peanut oil only and monitor the frying temperature with a digital thermometer.

  • debbzt  on  May 29, 2014

    Buttermilk to help with the marinating, a touch of Jerk Seasoning and good, clean oil to fry it in!

  • sillyvy  on  May 29, 2014

    I coat the chicken in seasoned flour before dipping it in buttermilk.

  • black5  on  May 29, 2014

    Always use thighs

  • sweetchefgirl  on  May 29, 2014

    soak in seasoned buttermilk overnight

  • Dcotter  on  May 29, 2014

    Seasoning the flour with mccormicks chicken seasoning.

  • lxlindeman  on  May 29, 2014

    Secret ingredient? The secret is washing and patting dry before adding good old fashioned seasoning before frying.

  • Kerrey  on  May 29, 2014

    I've never made fried chicken! I need this book!

  • sschopick  on  May 29, 2014

    Buttermilk soak.

  • Nsteinen  on  May 29, 2014

    Buttermilk and a cast iron skillet.

  • hihelen_westbrook  on  May 29, 2014

    Buttermilk and make sure the oil is properly hot so it doesn't get all greasy.

  • Grinsall  on  May 29, 2014

    Family tradition is to fry outside in our outdoor kitchen so you don't fill the house with the smell of cooking oil!

  • JulesLP  on  May 29, 2014

    Never made good fried chicken.

  • RickPearson54  on  May 29, 2014

    Cayenne pepper

  • troothteller  on  May 29, 2014

    My mother's archive of recipes is my secret ingredient. Also, I like to marinade meats first since I am afraid of tough results.

  • deucemom  on  May 29, 2014

    Unfortunately, I have never made perfect friend chicken. I need the book.

  • Queezle_Sister  on  May 29, 2014

    FEAR. I am afraid of fried chicken, but would love to overcome that fear. I hear buttermilk is a good ingredient to use, but that is the extent of my current knowledge.

  • infotrop  on  May 29, 2014

    I just tried this: brine the chicken pieces overnight, then coat in seasoned flour and pan fry them in butter, then roast for about 40 minutes. Not greasy, not undercooked, very moist and crispy.

  • Cpeterson729  on  May 29, 2014

    Buttermilk

  • ellabee  on  May 29, 2014

    Corn flakes in the coating (not my secret, my mother's). I hope someday to come close to the excellence of her fried chicken, which she made religiously for the 4th of July picnic and once or twice more each summer.

  • AmandaLeigh710  on  May 29, 2014

    use chicken thighs, and buttermilk

  • Cschajer  on  May 29, 2014

    Cornflake crumbs!

  • miggy1  on  May 29, 2014

    Non-hydrogenated lard!

  • wester  on  May 29, 2014

    I always roast my chicken instead of frying – so I could use some help extending my repertoire.

  • boldlyreal  on  May 29, 2014

    When adding the chicken to the hot oil don't try to cook to many pieces at once. It crowds the pan and makes the frying impossible!

  • bellaluna221  on  May 29, 2014

    Ok I'll be honest, I don't have a secret yet, because I still haven't perfected frying chicken! Hoping to get better, though 🙂 Practice practice practice!

  • lebarron2001  on  May 29, 2014

    Buttermilk. And, allow the oil to come back to temp after adding each piece.

  • Lovestocook  on  May 29, 2014

    Use chicken drumsticks

  • macgyver58  on  May 29, 2014

    crushed cornflakes

  • Julia  on  May 29, 2014

    Organic chicken, flour, salt, pepper, and peanut oil.

  • xntrek  on  May 29, 2014

    Buttermilk wash, a panko crumbs and polenta (maize) mixed with a hint of Piment d'Espelette and a pinch of sumac coat and fried in goose fat.

  • zarprey  on  May 29, 2014

    Panko instead of breadcrumbs.

  • jd5761  on  May 30, 2014

    Make your own breadcrumbs

  • quarryhome  on  May 30, 2014

    Mix some cornstarch in with the flour dredge. Use buttermilk to soak. Just salt and pepper for the seasonings. Season the chicken and the flour, Fry on lard or oil with apiece of bacon added for flavor or some drippins.

  • cocecitycook  on  May 30, 2014

    buttermilk and spice soak

  • trudys_person  on  May 30, 2014

    I've never made fried chicken – I find it kind of daunting … maybe this cookbook would help me get over that! Thank you for the giveaway!

  • tjnelson1hotmail  on  May 30, 2014

    Buttermilk and watch the oil temperature

  • kayanelson  on  May 30, 2014

    I've never made fried chicken but have numerous recipes I want to try. My mom made it when I was a child some 45 years ago and she finally gave me that recipe for Southern Fried Chicken and it doesn't appear that there are any secret ingredients but chicken stock is used in the batter not any kind of milk. I hope I win, I could use this book.

  • MarthaL  on  May 30, 2014

    1. Use thighs
    2. smear a paste of garlic and grated lemon rind under the skin
    3. marinate in buttermilk and Sriracha hot sauce overnight

  • rebsplain  on  May 30, 2014

    I don't ever make fried chicken. I hope to be inspired!

  • sgump  on  May 30, 2014

    Cornstarch (or cornflour) in the batter–for extra crispiness

  • goodfruit  on  May 31, 2014

    Italian flavored bread crumbs

  • liasim  on  May 31, 2014

    A cast iron skillet, salt, pepper and paprika.

  • meggan  on  May 31, 2014

    Panko crumbs

  • ballen  on  May 31, 2014

    A good hearty shake in seasoned flour inside a paper bag.

  • mgwalter  on  May 31, 2014

    Cooking it outside in my wok over the big kahuna burner I have. Allows for excellent temperature control and keeps the oil from permeating the kitchen.

  • pokarekare  on  June 1, 2014

    I have no idea – I tried to do it years ago with disastrous results and have resorted to KFC for a fried chicken fix ever since! I guess I need this book to show me how!

  • Teemo  on  June 1, 2014

    rice bran oil and panko

  • boardingace  on  June 1, 2014

    My secret ingredient is using a great recipe. I use Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country recipes and they've all turned out GREAT: Barberton Fried Chicken, Extra-Crunchy, Extra-Spicy Extra-Crunchy, or Oven-Fried. I still have to try their Easier Fried Chicken recipe. This book also looks DELICIOUS!

  • vnewton  on  June 2, 2014

    My secret ingredient for making extra crunchy fried chicken is putting a couple of teaspoons of dry mustard into the coating mix.

  • RuthGo  on  June 2, 2014

    Like an earlier commenter, I'm a nice Jewish girl from NYC; my mom used to cover chicken with bread crumbs to fry it. That being said, I recently tried frying some chicken just covered with some rice flour and it was DELICIOUS, nice and juicy.

  • lsgourmet  on  June 3, 2014

    The old fashioned way I learned. Using Lawrey's seasoned salt to coat the chicken pieces, leave the chicken uncovered in the fridge overnight. Next day shake the chicken in a paper bag full of flour. Cook in lard to cover the chicken with the lid on the pan. I swear this comes out incredible.

  • sharifah  on  June 4, 2014

    A little bit of rice flour mixed in with seasoned flour

  • btaber  on  June 4, 2014

    Coconut Oil! Frying in it makes everything taste good and I feel less guilty. Otherwise good seasoning and soaking make great Fried Chicken.

  • matag  on  June 5, 2014

    Hot sauce

  • cookerycoach  on  June 5, 2014

    Seasoned salt in an evaporated milk soak

  • cambridgecook  on  June 7, 2014

    Rice flour

  • MDTUMBLES  on  June 8, 2014

    i PUT LAWRY'S SEASONED SALT.

  • NikkiPixie  on  June 9, 2014

    I've heard crushed cornflakes are pretty good….

  • dcockburn  on  June 12, 2014

    Like so many others, buttermilk, and to use it as a marinade. Then crispy coating like panko with seasonings.

  • Taxlady  on  June 12, 2014

    Using chicken thighs and a special seasoning.

  • momsdontwhine  on  June 12, 2014

    Hot oil.

  • Sfgordon  on  June 12, 2014

    my grandmother, who makes a mean fried chicken, says to always buy whole chickens and cut them up yourself rather than buying chicken parts individually.

  • sarahburdon  on  June 12, 2014

    My secret is what goes with it to make it taste amazing. I have only ever done fried chicken one way and there wasn't much to it, chicken nibbles just roll in flour (with pepper and salt) and in she goes. However, it was the hot spicy tabasco butter sauce & blue cheese alloi that makes it everyones favourite thanks to Chelsea – NZ Master chef recipe.

  • toddschut  on  June 13, 2014

    I have no secrets 🙁

  • earthnfire  on  June 14, 2014

    I need help, have never gotten it right.

  • mknowles  on  June 15, 2014

    Always use thighs and legs their cheaper and stays moist and have more flavor, I add about 1/4 of rice flour with regular flour it makes the crust crispy and don't forget to bathe your bird in buttermilk with some Lawry season salt and a couple of drops of your favorite hot sauce.

  • tcjanes  on  June 15, 2014

    Duck fat for frying.

  • pers1stence  on  June 17, 2014

    i'm terrible at this, so i don't have a secret yet…

  • DesiKim  on  June 17, 2014

    a good spicy marinade and a bit of cornflour in the batter

  • diannerh49  on  June 19, 2014

    Buttermilk marinade

  • herby  on  June 20, 2014

    Buttermilk soak and sparkling ice-cold water in the batter.

  • cook4cowdog  on  June 21, 2014

    My mother accidently picked up cinnamon when reaching for black pepper and added quite a lot of it to the flour she intended to use for fried chicken. Going with "waste not, want not", she used the flour anyway (after adding an equal amount of black pepper) and my dad thought it was the most amazing chicken she had ever served him. She continued to add the cinnamon and I do as well.

  • KateMGB  on  June 22, 2014

    Soaking in buttermilk

  • thegoodlife  on  June 23, 2014

    Season chicken and the breading the day before.

  • LilyMoonCat  on  June 25, 2014

    Soy Sauce

  • mdoyle  on  June 25, 2014

    I've never fried chicken but want to give it a try.

  • JodieE  on  June 25, 2014

    my secret ingredient for fried chicken is a good pinch of chinese five spice powder. Even for non Asian cooking, it adds that little extra something.

  • runwestie  on  June 25, 2014

    I sous vide the meat first to 145-148 and then batter and deep fry it.

  • lovetocook  on  June 25, 2014

    I soak overnight in buttermilk and bring to room temperature before I start to bread and fry.

  • Julimorr  on  June 25, 2014

    Oil temperature

  • enation  on  June 25, 2014

    A nice double breading

  • WaipiataKitchen  on  June 25, 2014

    Coconut oil gives flored and seasoned thighs a great finish and subtle flavour. I usually finish with wholegrain mustard, a little brandy & cream.

  • Jane  on  June 30, 2014

    This contest is closed. The three lucky winners, selected by random number generator, are MarthaL, jknows, and RickPearson54.

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