By Lee Brian Schrager with Adeena Sussman
Clarkson Potter; $22.50

Lee Schrager, the force behind the New York and South Beach Wine & Food Festivals, traveled the country in search of the best recipes for fried chicken (and match-made-in-heaven sides like creamy coleslaw, tender biscuits, cheese grits, and dirty rice). And, boy, did he find them: in down-home roadside shacks, in world-renowned restaurants, and in plenty of places in between. Highlights include Thomas Keller’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Michael Romano’s Graham Cracker-Crusted Chicken, New Orleans’s Hard-Fried Chicken, and funky riffs like Sweet-Tea Brined and crispy Japanese-style versions. As Schrager points out, frying chicken can be as simple as 1) dip, 2) dredge, and 3) fry. The hardest part might be deciding on a recipe to make; but once you’ve done that and have read through the helpful tips and tricks, you’ll be ready to fry like a pro.

Tyler Florence’s Fried Chicken(page 52) Florence creates flavor nuances by infusing the cooking oil with garlic, thyme, rosemary, and sage. A squeeze of lemon is the finishing touch.

Linton Hopkins’s Old-Fashioned Coleslaw(page 74) Hopkins’s clever technique of soaking cabbage in salt water before dressing it makes this coleslaw extra tasty.

Sunday Night Fried Chicken		Dirty Rice

Buttermilk Fried Chicken		Keralan Fried Chicken with Lowcountry Cardamom Waffles

Photographs by Evan Sung

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