Fried chicken for a crowd

I can make a killer fried chicken for my family of four in a heavy-bottomed dutch oven, but this weekend, I'm making it for 15 people, and am wondering if I should break down and buy a deep fryer to help cook that much of it. Do you have any thoughts or expertise in this area? If a fryer is the way to go, and do you have a suggestion for one you really like? I'd love to hear your large-batch fried chicken suggestions!

CL
  • Posted by: CL
  • April 29, 2016
  • 5680 views
  • 3 Comments

3 Comments

Sam1148 April 29, 2016
Soak it in buttermilk. Coat it and fry it. Instead of a second fry. Put it on a sheet pan in a 350 oven after it's fried to finish up cooking---about 30 mins.
 
hardlikearmour April 29, 2016
I'd beg, borrow, or buy another dutch oven. Per J. Kenji López-Alt you'll get crispier fried chicken if you fry it twice. The second fry is done at 400º F for 5 minutes (pieces flipped once in the middle), so you could do the second fry in 2 batches pretty quickly. The chicken needs to be refrigerated at least an hour, or as long as overnight, after the first fry.
 
inpatskitchen April 29, 2016
Have you considered browning and then baking your chicken? Here's my method and obviously you can season to your liking:
https://food52.com/recipes/11463-my-fried-and-baked-spicy-chicken
 
Recommended by Food52