Fried Chicken Day is celebrated in July. After spending a long weekend eating hot dogs and hamburgers in celebration of the 4th of July, the fried chicken meal is no doubt a welcome one.
This delicious day is a celebration of the taste and texture—not to mention the delectable smell—of fried chicken. Many restaurants—especially those in the south—offer specials and several kinds of fried chicken on this special day.
Fried Chicken Day: Eat at Home
In addition to celebrating Fried Chicken Day in a restaurant, lots of people enjoy whipping up a big batch of homemade fried chicken right in their own kitchen. In addition to being the most cost-effective way of enjoying this hearty meal, it usually results in one of the celebration’s cons.
Preparing fried chicken at home means cooking over a pot or large pan of grease. The grease splatters as the chicken is frying, and winds up on your clothing and all your kitchen’s surfaces.
Some Tried-and-True Favorites
There are a few tried-and-true favorites that grace dinner tables all over the country on Fried Chicken Day. In addition to flour-coated fried chicken, several other means of battering the bird are popular, too.
Panko bread crumbs have become very popular in the past decade. They coat the fried chicken with a light and crispy crunch. Egg and Panko make for a heavier crunch, with a rich taste. Dipping the chicken into a beaten egg batter and then dredging in Panko results in a nice consistency and flavor.
Rubbing the chicken pieces in a mixture of paprika, chili powder, black pepper, and brown sugar before frying results in a smoky flavor. The brown sugar helps form a crispy crust.
You’ll definitely find that certain areas within the United States make fried chicken their own way. Some could even have a special recipe for Fried Chicken Day. Doing some research—or talking with friends and family members from various places around the country—can result in even more ways to prepare your fried chicken.
Trying your hand at fried chicken is the ultimate way to celebrate Fried Chicken Day. Give the grill a much-needed break and return to the kitchen for this ultimate comfort food meal.
If you absolutely don’t want to mess up your kitchen with fried chicken grease (and possibly hire that maid service!) check out the ads for your favorite restaurants instead. It’s likely that one or more is featuring a fried chicken special for Fried Chicken Day.
Removing the Grease
Hiring a maid service is one way to take care of the remnants of Fried Chicken Day. Cleaning up the grease yourself is another. But why after all the hard work you did preparing the meal?
What’s the best way to remove grease from your clothing following Fried Chicken Day? If you were the cook, your clothes are no doubt covered in more grease than anyone else’s, but it’s likely that those who indulged in the decadent fried chicken have some on their clothes. Certainly some of the kids do.
Pre-treating the stains is the best way to start. Using a few drops of liquid dish soap, and applying them directly to the grease-affected areas will help. Allowing the dish soap to remain on the stains until it’s time for them to be laundered almost always results in removal of the grease stains from Fried Chicken Day.
Simply laundering the clothing per garment instructions is all that’s left. Checking to be sure the stains are gone prior to transferring the clothes to the dryer will ensure any remaining stain doesn’t get set into the fabric for good. Repeating the dish liquid step a second time should take care of any remaining grease stains.
What to Eat with Fried Chicken?
There are a few old standby staples that round out the perfect fried chicken dinner—on Fried Chicken Day or any other day of the year–and these make up some of the celebration’s pros. Creamy mashed potatoes and butter are a must. Corn on the cob and homemade corn bread are perfect for rounding out the meal.
Collard greens or beet greens are a southern staple for serving with a fried chicken dinner. Dessert is usually some kind of homemade fruit pie.
Fried chicken dinners aren’t low-calorie affairs, as you can very well see. Traditional fried chicken includes the chicken skin, which adds some fat and calories to every piece. When reserved for special occasions, like Fried Chicken Day, however, there’s little to no excuse not to join in.
Fried chicken dinners aren’t a quick meal to throw together either. If ever you’ve considered hiring a maid service, you’ll likely be convinced to do so after you’ve slaved over a fried chicken meal. Cleaning up afterward isn’t for the faint of heart!
Yes, there are pros and cons to Fried Chicken Day. As might be expected, however, the pros far outweigh any of the cons.