Marcus Samuelsson's Preferred Type Of Meat For Juicy Fried Chicken
Marcus Samuelsson knows a thing or two about the comfort foods people love. According to her Food Network bio, the "Chopped" judge was not only the youngest recipient of a The New York Times three-star review, but he is a multi-time James Beard Award winner who also made a name for himself through his eatery, the Red Rooster in Harlem, New York. The celebrity chef revealed in a Youtube video that "it was clear to [him] that we had to have New York's best fried chicken" at his renowned restaurant. He went on to explain that his Big Apple ambition was very "personal," adding that he didn't grow up eating fried chicken. It wasn't until he came to the United States that he fell in love with the dish.
Samuelsson further shared he likes to make his fried chicken in two distinct ways. One is the traditional method and the other involves using a Mexican sauce. But he noted that it's all about the "flavor" and "crunch" that are synonymous with biting into the bird. Samuelsson also has a preferred type of meat that he says will achieve crispy and juicy results.
Marcus Samuelsson goes for bone-in dark meat
Marcus Samuelsson said that when he eats fried chicken, he wants to "listen to some really good music, sit outside, eat with [his] hands, and just share it with some friends." But Samuelsson also explained to Food & Wine (via YouTube) that to achieve maximum deliciousness when making fried chicken, he chooses to use "bone-in dark meat" because "it's much juicier."
MasterClass notes dark meat chicken has approximately "50% red fibers." These fibers produce juicier, more flavorful meat that can withstand longer cooking times than white meat without drying out. The cooking site further expounds on the virtues of dark chicken meat, adding that it has greater amounts of zinc, iron, and vitamin C than its coveted white meat counterpart.
Samuelsson also has another trick he uses when he makes his chicken in order to get that crackling sound we all know and love. He fries it twice. The chef claimed this will make it both "super crispy and super delicious." Samuelsson shared that when customers come to his Red Rooster Restaurant, put on a bib, toss their ties to the side, and get their hands messy while excitedly digging into this fried chicken, he takes great joy in hearing the crunching sounds because the experience is "a party."