It’s like all of my favorite Holidays rolled into one. You all know that American fried chicken is amazing, but did you know that Americans weren’t the first to do it?
Europeans were already frying chickens back in the Middle Ages, but it was the Scottish immigrants to the U.S. who brought with them their tradition of deep-frying chicken in fat. The recipe didn’t flourish until African slaves added their own unique touches of seasonings and spices. Thus, turning that simple bland dish from across the ocean into a delicious homemade staple in many American households throughout the South.
“The best comfort food will always be greens, cornbread and fried chicken.” ~ Poet, Maya Angelou
The history of fried chicken wouldn’t be complete without chef and entrepreneur Colonel Harland Sanders. He sold his own original recipe Kentucky Fried Chicken with eleven herbs and spices from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Afterwards he operated Harland Sanders Café from 1940 to 1956. The first KFC franchise utilizing the faster pressure frying method opened in 1952 near Salt Lake City, Utah.
In 1970 the first KFC opened in Nagoya, Japan and by 1981 there were 324 KFC restaurants in country. Today KFC is the official Christmas traditional dinner in Japan where orders are placed as far in advance as October. In 2019 (pre-pandemic) Christmas sales reached a record 7.1 billion yen ($62.5 US million) with lines out the door starting on December 23.
We the people of the United States love our fried chicken; either Country fried, Broasted, Buttermilk, Korean, Popcorn, Karaage, Smoked and even Buffalo Wings, the varieties are many and the list is long. Makes me feel like lickin’ my fingers.
Celebrate today accompanied with your favorite family sides dish; mac n’ cheese, baked beans, corn bread, potato salad, hushpuppies, collard greens, coleslaw, corn on the cob, or fried okra. Even a 10-piece Chicken McNugget with BBQ sauce would be great.
I’m afraid to ask what part of the chicken the nugget is.