Southern-Fried Chicken Mushrooms
Try this Southern-Fried Chicken Mushrooms recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Southern-Fried Chicken Mushrooms recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 41.9596952488006 g
- Cholesterol 29.4000000374612 mg
- Fat 62.1064903947389 g
- Fiber 3.75444434725636 g
- Protein 25.8500186874937 g
- Saturated Fat 11.2960946977765 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1255g)
- Sodium 775.940693298456 mg
- Sugar 38.2052509015442 g
- Trans Fat 3.08012638521273 g
- Calories 808 calories
Step-by-step
- Rinse the mushrooms and remove any woody bits.
- Heat one inch of oil in a cast iron pan.
- Make the brine by combining buttermilk, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper.
- Soak mushrooms in the brine.
- Remove mushrooms from brine and dredge them in the seasoned flour.
- To double-bread the mushrooms, repeat the brine-to-flour process.
- Drop mushrooms in the hot oil.
- Allow them to fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on both sides.
- Before serving, let the mushrooms rest on a bed of paper towels to pull out any excess oil.
Dense mushroom caps require aggressive moisture management to achieve a shatteringly crisp exterior rather than a soggy, steamed coating. Rinsing chicken mushrooms is necessary for removing forest debris, but surface water acts as a barrier against adhesion, causing the seasoned flour to slide right off the fungi during frying. Thoroughly patting the washed mushrooms dry ensures the buttermilk brine makes direct contact with the exterior cells, initiating the acid-tenderization process.
Controlling Texture Through Brining and Breading
Soaking the cleaned mushrooms in a spiced buttermilk bath achieves two objectives simultaneously. Acidity breaks down tough surface proteins while providing the viscous liquid foundation required for a thick crust. Dredging demands precision: shaking off excess flour prevents clumping in the pan, while a second dip in the buttermilk followed by another flour coat creates a double-breaded shell. Frying requires maintaining an oil depth of one inch inside a heavy cast-iron skillet to ensure thermal stability when the cold mushrooms enter the vessel. Drop the battered fungi into oil heated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, cooking them in small batches to prevent oil temperature from plummeting.
- Dropping too many pieces at once causes the oil temperature to plummet, resulting in greasy, oil-logged breading.
- Removing the mushrooms too early leaves the flour raw; wait for a deep golden-brown visual cue before extracting them.
- Stacking hot fried mushrooms traps steam underneath, which immediately softens the crisp crust; always use a wire cooling rack or paper towels in a single layer.
