Cajun Deep Fried Chicken

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. The evening before: Get your injector needle and set aside. Strain the Italian dressing to catch items too big for the injector needle. Melt the butter and add to the strained dressing.
2. Take a handful of your favorite Cajun seasonings and add to marinade (I prefer Tony Chachere’’s Creole seasoning, Chef Paul Prudhomme’’s blackened seasoning, Zatarain’’s Creole seasoning, Cajun Shake seasonings, or any Cajun spice I can get my hands on).
3. Add onion powder and garlic powder to taste. You can also purchase Cajun Injector seasoning from the store. The new latest and greatest is to buy the capsules filled with seasonings that you stuff into the meat like a roast. Once you start cooking the meat, the capsule melts and distributes flavor into the body of meat.
4. Use the injector to inject marinade into the breasts, thighs, and wings. Stick the needle all the way in. As you slowly pull out, slowly press and inject spices into the chicken. Inject from multiple angles for maximum coverage.
5. The more you use, the juicier the chicken will be when you cook it. Also, rub seasoning on the outside of the chicken, under the skin, and the inside cavity as well.
6. Place chicken, legs up, on holder and place inside plastic oven roasting bag and chill overnight in an ice chest with a little ice.
7. Morning of: Fill fryer approximately 1/3 with oil (you don’t need peanut oil, but once you try it, you won’t use anything else. It also smokes less).
8. Dip chicken (while in the plastic bag) in oil and fill/drain as needed. Oil should just cover the top of chicken or chickens. Ensure you have a hole at the top of the plastic bag. Otherwise the bag will expand with air and you will not get an accurate reading. Take the chicken out of oil and place back in cooler.
9. An alternative is to use water the previous day prior to seasoning/injecting chicken. Dip chicken in water and mark the level. Empty water and dry the pot. Then pour oil to that spot. I don’’t like doing it this way as we all know water and oil don’’t mix if the pot is not completely dried. :o)
10. Ready to cook: Heat oil to 300°-350°F (it takes approximately 20 minutes). Remove chicken from plastic wrap and place in oil. Oil temperature should drop to 300°F. Ensure you keep the temperature between 300°-350°F, but the closer to middle the better. Cook approximately 42-45 minutes (9 minutes per pound for a 4.75-5 lb chicken). Never, ever cover pot with lid! You will have much more on your hands than a “smokin’’ Cajun chicken”…
11. Remove chicken from oil and let it rest 5-10 minutes before carving.