July 6^th is National Fried Chicken Day, and tummies across the country are already growling in anticipation. Although the origins of this national holiday are a bit muddled, it’s clear that fried chicken is a favorite dish in America enjoyed by families all year round. A staple food at many backyard barbeques and summertime celebrations, this crispy delight was first introduced to the United States by Scottish immigrants who brought their centuries old tradition of deep-frying chicken in fat to the southern U.S. many moons ago.

As word spread about this tasty dish from Scotland, Americans soon began to add their own twists to the classic recipe, which traditionally uses lard to render the chicken crispy, by incorporating various herbs and spices and using corn, peanut, canola, or vegetable oil as the frying method. Fried chicken is made by coating individual pieces of chicken in flour, cornmeal, or cracker crumbs, or dipping them in batter and frying them in a pan on a stove top, using a deep fryer or pressure cooker.

An American restaurant staple and comfort food for many, fried chicken can be enjoyed hot off the stove or served cold from a picnic basket, and is easily paired with vegetable side dishes such as mashed potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob, and fried okra, cold salads such as potato salad, macaroni salad, cucumber salad, three bean salad, and coleslaw, or served with warm buttermilk biscuits, fluffy pancakes or waffles, and topped with gravy or dipped in hot sauce or ketchup. There’s really no wrong way to enjoy fried chicken; it’s all a matter of preference.

A Virginia housewife named Mary Randolph with familial ties to Thomas Jefferson is credited with producing the first printed fried chicken recipe in her cookbook The Virginia Housewife Or: Methodical Cook, the first cookbook published in America back in 1825. For those of you who love fried chicken but want to try something new or prefer to make a healthier version, we found some recipes we think you’ll find worthy of a place in your recipe card file.

Southern Fried Chicken from Taste of Home. Patricia Gowen of Amherst, Virginia called this traditional fried chicken recipe with a twist “a happy accident,” stating ‘I discovered at the last minute that I didn’t have enough all-purpose flour for coating the chicken, so I used pancake mix instead.’

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pancake mix
• 2 to 3 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut up
• Oil for frying

Directions:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the pancake mix, salt, pepper, and paprika. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time; shake to coat.
• Heat 2 in. of oil in an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer to 375°. Fry chicken, a few pieces at a time for 6 minutes on each side or until golden brown and juices run clear.

Oven Fried Chicken from Sunset Magazine. Here’s a healthier, spicier version of fried chicken that bakes up just as crispy and delicious as the stovetop version fried in oil. Contributor Mickey Strang, McKinleyville, California, says her recipe is great served hot or cold. Mickey livened up this version with sharp cheddar cheese and ancho chili powder. Have a whole chicken cut into pieces at the meat market, or buy 3 3/4 pounds breast, leg, and thigh pieces. As a quicker alternative to making your own breadcrumbs, use 1 1/2 cups purchased dried breadcrumbs. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 6 slices (about 5 oz.) day-old or slightly stale bread (see note above)
• 1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon ground dried ancho chilies or chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 chicken (about 4 lb.), neck and giblets removed, cut into 8 pieces (see note above)
• 2 large eggs, beaten to blend

Directions:

• Toast bread slices. Let cool, then tear into 1-inch chunks. Whirl in a food processor to make coarse crumbs.
• In a large shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese, ground chilies, and salt.
• Rinse chicken and pat dry. Dip in beaten egg and roll in crumb mixture to coat. Place on a foil-lined 12×15 inch baking sheet.
• Bake in a 375° regular or 350° convection oven until crumbs are browned and chicken is no longer pink at the bone (cut to test), 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Ways to Make Your Chicken Healthier from Eating Well. There are several ways to make your fried chicken healthier, according to this article.

• Remove the skin before baking. You may think you need to keep the skin intact to have crispy chicken, but that’s not the case. The coating, which is usually made of flour and spices, is what makes classic fried chicken crispy. Removing the skin doesn’t mean compromising on flavor.
• Another way to add flavor and cut calories is to marinate your chicken pieces before coating and baking them. Marinating your chicken breaks down the protein in the meat, making the finished product more tender. Marinating offers you a great opportunity to infuse extra flavor, like garlic or even a little hot sauce, into your chicken. You can marinate your chicken pieces for anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours. In general, the longer your chicken marinates, the more intense the flavor. Three hours is a good choice, as your meat will end up with a mushy texture if it’s marinated too long.
• Use cooking spray to reduce saturated fat. By spraying your coated chicken pieces lightly with cooking spray before oven-frying, you can achieve a crispy golden brown color without added fat. There are several healthy cooking spray options, including olive oil and coconut oil versions. By spraying your chicken pieces after they’re coated with flour, crushed crackers, or breadcrumbs, your coating adheres to the chicken better, and the spray eliminates the need to brush your pieces with oil or turn them in a pan. It also keeps your chicken from sticking to a wire baking rack.
• Suspend your chicken over a baking dish. By placing your chicken on a wire rack suspended over a baking dish or cookie sheet, you can catch all the drippings from your chicken as it cooks and use them to make chicken gravy. Using a cookie sheet allows you to bake a larger portion of chicken at once than you could fit in a single large frying pan on the stove top.

When it comes to marinades for fried chicken, some swear by buttermilk while others claim brine is the way to go. You won’t go wrong choosing either method, or you can bravely combine the two and make a buttermilk brine. Here are two marinade recipes for you to try:

1. Buttermilk Herb marinade from Genius Kitchen. Marinate chicken for 1 to 4 hours and discard marinade.
   • 1 cup buttermilk
   • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
   • 1 tablespoon honey
   • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
   • 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
   • 1⁄2 teaspoon dried sage
   • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
   • 1⁄2 teaspoon dried marjoram
   • 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2. Brine with Buttermilk from Today.
   • Into 1 cup of water, stir in 1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and spices like smoked paprika, stirring until dissolved.
   • Add 3 to 4 cups of buttermilk to finish the buttermilk brine.
   • Soak the chicken, refrigerated, in the brine, overnight before proceeding you’re your favorite fried chicken recipe.

Summertime is the perfect time to experiment with new twists on your favorite fried chicken recipes. Break out the picnic basket and party plates and enjoy some of America’s favorite comfort food on Independence Day, National Fried Chicken day, or any day you choose!