Finger-Lickin Crispy Fried Chicken in Beef Tallow

Looking for the best Crispy Fried Chicken recipe? This recipe is deliciously crispy and healthy too! Fried chicken is one of our favorites around here and being able to cook in a healthy oil means I’m all for it. This recipe is very forgiving, you can use many different seasonings to flavor the chicken. Use your favorite seasonings to wow your families taste buds. My family personally prefers Redmond real salt season salt and cracked black pepper. My mom always used lemon pepper in her fried chicken (and it was delicious!) so don’t be afraid to branch out and use seasonings you have on hand. Garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt make a great seasoning too.

What cuts of chicken are best for Crispy Fried Chicken?

We start with whole chickens and cut into pieces. The chicken thighs and legs are best for fried chicken as the dark meat is so much moister and more flavorful. We usually save the breast pieces for a creamy chicken meal. However, you most definitely can use the chicken breasts for fried chicken. Chicken nuggets or strips are a real hit with the children. They all get a crisp texture when fried in hot beef tallow. What is leftover of the chicken carcass is made into homemade chicken broth. We personally just let the wing tips go to the broth as there usually isn’t much meat on them. No pieces of chicken are wasted here!

What is all Needed for this New Recipe?

It is very simple, 7-8 cups of beef tallow, chicken pieces (we use 10-piece bone-in chicken), around 2-3 teaspoons of seasonings, 2-3 cups of flour (all-purpose flour or fresh milled flour both work great), and 4 or so eggs. I personally prefer to use the whole egg. Just using the egg yolks or egg whites would result in losing nutrients and needing to find another recipe to use up what is left over from the egg. A pan with a lid, preferably one that is heatproof such as cast iron so it can be placed in the oven if desired. I use cast iron chicken fryer pans or Dutch ovens so there are deeper sides to help keep the grease mess to a minimum.

Let’s Get Cooking!

First, get all chicken pieces cut into desired sizes. Then rinse if desired and pat dry or let set for a few minutes to air dry. If desired sprinkle each piece with some salt to help get more flavor into the meat, not just the breading. Meanwhile, get flour in one bowl and you can add seasonings into the flour if desired. Have some extra flour set aside in case you need a little more. A couple teaspoons of seasonings should be

sufficient. Or you can sprinkle the seasonings on each piece of chicken when placed in the pan, which is what I do. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and beat with a fork to or use a wire whisk to whisk the eggs or essentially to scramble them. Now, is when I get my cast iron skillet warming up on medium heat and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I

also grease the lids to my cast iron chicken fryer pans so they are ready to go in the oven once the chicken is to that point. Once heated I add 2-3 cups of tallow to the cast iron pan to melt and get nice and hot.

While the Oil is Warming Up…

I start coating the chicken pieces. I first coat them in the flour dredge them through the whisked eggs and coat them with the flour or flour mixture once again. This gives the chicken pieces a nice breading that sticks quite well through the frying process. Then I set on the cutting board while I repeat the process with each piece of chicken. Once each piece is ready for the oil, I check to make sure the oil is hot. I add one piece to the hot oil to make sure it starts to cook right away. If so, I add enough pieces to fill the pan. I can usually get 5 pieces to each one cast-iron skillet. I then liberally sprinkle each piece of chicken with my desired seasonings. Let the chicken cook to a nice golden brown with a crispy edge, then turn each piece with a high heat point tongs. Cook the other side the same as the first.

Why place in the oven?

I find placing in the oven to finish cooking allows the meat to keep cooking without burning the breading on the chicken and allows for me to cook my sides at the same time. This was such a game changer for me to get the whole meal prepared at the same time. This way I use one burner for the chicken, and I can boil potatoes on my other large burner and make a vegetable on a smaller burner. I always put my lid on so the steam can still escape to help the skin stay crispy. If you find the breading isn’t as crispy as you like just pop the pan back on the burner with the lid off to crisp back up, this only takes a couple of minutes. Make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees f.

Once the Crispy Fried Chicken is Cooked:

I remove the chicken from the hot cast iron skillet and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. While the fried chicken is resting, I remove the crispy bits from the bottom of the cast iron pans along with some of the fat to make a gravy. I do add water and some additional seasonings. Sometimes I add better than bouillon chicken flavor to make the gravy taste best. This depends on how much water I add and how much flavoring the juice has.

Time to Eat Crispy Fried Chicken!

Once all the sides are ready, dive into this savory way of eating chicken. Or, as my youngest prefers, eat the crispy fried chicken as soon as it is ready! Who can wait an extra minute? The smell will encompass your whole house and have everyone waiting, patiently of course, for this wonderful meal to be prepared and on the table. A side that is perfect for this meal is homemade bread or buns. If you have any crispy fried chicken leftover be sure to store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.

Why Choose Tallow over other oils?

There are so many choices of fat available. This new fried chicken recipe uses tallow because it has a high smoke point, which allows the chicken to crisp up without burning. Tallow is healthy and provides nutrients such as vitamin A, D, E, and K. These vitamins help your body in many ways, some help with immune function and bone health. Along with having these benefits tallow also is anti-inflammatory. Whereas using vegetable oils such as canola oil has the opposite effect. Seed oils are damaging to our health and vegetable oils fall into that category. They increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cancers. Animal fats, such as tallow, provide our bodies with so many nutrients to keep us healthy. So, enjoy devouring this wonderful meal full of nutrients and goodness.

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