Fried Chicken Sonora Style Recipes

FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine first four ingredients. With paper towels, pat chicken dry; add to bag, a few pieces at a time. Seal bag and shake to coat. , In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1/2 in. of oil; fry chicken until browned on all sides. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 30-35 minutes or until juices run clear, turning occasionally. Uncover and cook 5 minutes longer. Drain on paper towels.,

BON TON-STYLE FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Marinate chicken:
• Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
• Add chicken, making sure it is covered with marinade. Chill, covered, stirring twice, about 24 hours.
• Dredge and fry chicken:
• Heat 2 inches oil in a wide 8- to 9 1/2-quart pot over moderately high heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 365 to 375°F. (Our pot was 12 inches wide and 5 inches deep; if you don't have that wide a pot, you can fry the chicken in two batches.)
• Meanwhile, whisk together all dredging ingredients in a large bowl. Drain chicken, discarding marinade. Dredge each piece of chicken in seasoned flour and put on a large baking sheet. Let stand about 10 minutes.
• Fry chicken, turning a few times, 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown, then drain on a rack.

EXTRA CRISPY SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken pieces with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, and stir in the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Soak the chicken in the milk mixture for 5 to 10 minutes. Combine the flour and seasoned salt (if using) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add the chicken pieces, a few at a time, and shake to coat completely in the flour. Shake off any excess and set the chicken aside on a rack to dry. Pour the oil into a deep skillet or deep fryer and heat it to 350 degrees F. Add chicken thighs and legs and cook for several minutes. Add other chicken pieces being careful not to overcrowd skillet. Continue cooking, turning once, until chicken pieces are golden brown and cooked through. Drain the fried chicken on paper towels and serve warm or at room temperature.

ALMOST-FAMOUS CHIMICHANGAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Melt the butter with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet; transfer to a bowl. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon salt; toast 30 seconds. Add the tomato and cilantro and cook until slightly dry, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken and sour cream and warm through. Remove from the heat.
• Brush a rimmed baking sheet with some of the butter-oil mixture. Spread 2 tablespoons refried beans down the center of each tortilla, leaving a 2-inch border on both ends. Top with 1 cup chicken mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Fold in the ends and roll up.
• Put the chimichangas seam-side down on the baking sheet; brush with the butter-oil mixture. Bake 8 to 10 minutes per side, brushing again after you flip. Top with the sauce, more cheese, lettuce and tomato. Serve with rice and the remaining beans.
• Saute onions and garlic cloves in a skillet with vegetable oil. Add a pinch each of chili powder, cumin, sugar and salt; cook 30 seconds. Stir in green chiles; cook 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and simmer until thickened, then puree. Stir in cilantro.

CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, hot sauce (optional, for added flavor), salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add in chicken pieces. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours.
• When ready to cook, pour the vegetable oil in a skillet until it is about 3/4 inch deep. Heat to 350 degrees.
• Prepare the breading by combining the flour, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, white pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt in a gallon sized resealable plastic bag or shallow dish. Mix it thoroughly.
• Working one at a time, remove chicken pieces from buttermilk mixture. Shake it gently to remove the excess. Place it in the breading mix and coat thoroughly. Tap off the excess.
• Place the breaded chicken into the 350 degree oil. Fry 3 or 4 pieces at a time. The chicken will drop the temperature of the oil so keep it as close to 350 degrees as possible. Fry each piece for 14 minutes, turning each piece about half way through, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
• Remove from the oil and place on paper towels. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

SONORA CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place chicken in a baking dish. Cover and bake for 1 hour in preheated oven. Remove chicken from dish and allow to cool. Remove meat from bone and tear into small pieces.
• Meanwhile, mix the cream of mushroom soup, the cream of chicken soup, chili, picante sauce, milk, onion, cumin, and garlic powder in a large bowl.
• Spread half the shredded chicken into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover the chicken with half of the tortilla pieces. Pour half of the sauce on top of the tortillas; sprinkle half the Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese evenly over the dish. Repeat the layers with the rest of the ingredients.
• Bake in preheated oven until all the cheese has melted and sauce mixture is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes.

FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut the whole chickens into 4 breasts, 4 thighs, 4 legs and 4 wings and set aside.
• Preheat your oil, in either a heavy pan on the stove or a deep-fryer, to 325 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
• Pour the buttermilk into another bowl large enough for the chicken to be immersed in the buttermilk.
• Prepare your dredging station. Place your chicken in a bowl. Next to that, your bowl of buttermilk, and next to that, your dry mixture.
• Take your breasts, lightly dust them with your flour mixture, then dip them in the buttermilk until they are coated, and then place them in the flour mixture.
• Take the breasts that are in the flour mixture and aggressively push the flour mixture into the wet chicken. Make sure that the chicken in very thoroughly coated, or you will not achieve the crust and crunch you are looking for. Gently place the breasts in your hot oil.
• Next, repeat the dredging steps with your other pieces of chicken in this order: thigh, leg then wing.
• When you place the last wing into the fryer, you should have 16 pieces of chicken in the oil. Set a timer for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, take a probe thermometer and check the temperature of a breast. If it reads 180 degrees F, all of your chicken is done. (Keep in mind that it will continue to cook after it has been removed from the fryer.)
• Remove the chicken from the oil and let it drain for 5 minutes. Let cool for an additional 10 minutes before serving.

SONORAN-STYLE POTATO, CHEESE, AND TOMATO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Cook red onion, chile, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, stirring with a wooden spoon, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste, breaking up paste so it coats vegetables, then add squash, potatoes, and broth. Increase heat to medium-high and bring broth to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are almost falling apart, 15-20 minutes.
• Add cherry tomatoes to pot and cook until warmed through but not bursting, about 3 minutes. Stir in oregano and vinegar and simmer 2 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Remove from heat and stir in milk (if using). Taste soup and season with more salt if needed.
• Divide queso fresco among bowls and ladle soup over, stirring to prevent cheese from clumping.

CLASSIC SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 200 F and place a rack in a large baking pan.
• In a medium bowl, combine the milk and eggs. Whisk to blend well.
• In a large heavy-duty resealable plastic food storage bag, combine the flour, 2 tablespoons salt, and pepper. Seal and shake to combine.
• Dip the chicken pieces in the milk and egg mixture and let excess drip off into the bowl. Set already dipped pieces aside on a plate until you have three or four.
• Add the dipped chicken pieces to the bag of seasoned flour.
• Seal the bag and shake well to coat the chicken pieces thoroughly.
• Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
• Heat the oil in a deep, heavy skillet to 350 F. While it's heating up, set aside a large serving plate lined with paper towels.
• Fry the chicken, a few pieces at a time, for about 10 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Be careful not to put too many chicken pieces in at once-even if they can comfortably fit-since this will dramatically drop the temperature of the oil, affecting the crispness of the final product. Note that chicken breasts will take a little less time than dark meat pieces.
• With a slotted spoon, move the done chicken pieces onto the paper towel-lined platter to drain. Sprinkle immediately with salt.
• Transfer the drained and seasoned chicken to the prepared pan with a rack. Keep warm in the preheated oven while frying subsequent batches. Depending on the size of your pan, this recipe will require about 3 to 4 batches.