Battle Of The Century...Chicken

While waiting for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. to finally sign on the bottom line and bring us the fight we've been waiting almost a decade for, I began thinking about the culinary world's showdowns of the century. To me, one of the most intriguing battles in modern culinary is "battle chicken."

That's barbecue chicken versus roasted chicken versus fried chicken. A trifecta of taste. Three unique presentations of the same protein, each with its own succulent and savory tastes.

Let's go to the ring!

In the first corner is roasted chicken. Classic roast chicken is the thoroughbred prize fighter. The epic champion who "ruled the roost" for decades.

Preparing a classic French-style roast chicken requires skill and technique, but is completely accessible to all cooks if you are willing to take a little time and are careful with the details. Few people who don't tote around a culinary degree know that the "roast" chicken is actually a specific type of chicken. It is age (five to nine months) and weight (approximately six pounds) that determine the difference between a fryer, a roaster, a broiler, etc. 

The defining flavor characteristics of this "champ" lie in the aromatics, or ingredients that help lend their flavors to the protein during the cooking process. Tarragon, shallots, parsley, and celery are all traditional. Another key is in the trussing (or tying) of the bird. This process helps create an even cook and delivers the bird in a traditional presentation.

This style of cooking is as antiquated as it sounds. Modern sentimentality doesn't lend itself to "too many steps" and specific details, but I'll urge you to stop and enjoy the cooking from time to time. We eat to exist, but we cook to experience the finer things in life. It's therapeutic and definitely worth the extra steps.

The taste of a perfectly roasted chicken is glorious. An evenly roasted chicken coated in butter, with fresh aromatics, and basted regularly yields a fabulous meal fit for a king. The meat will be moist and juicy and everything you'd expect from a dish that's called a "classic."

But classics imply days that have passed by. This title fight used to end with roasted chicken winning in a three-round knockout. Not so fast, my friend.

In the second corner is the "brawler" known as barbecue chicken.

First things first, let's define "barbecue." It's not a sauce. It's not the propane- or charcoal-fueled cooking machine in your backyard. Barbecue is a cooking style. Low and slow is written on this contender's trunks. That's low temperature and slow, time-consuming cooking, to be exact.

Similar to the roasted chicken, this bird requires patience and attention to detail.  One of the most important things to consider when preparing to smoke a barbecue chicken is determining what kind wood to use. Personally, I prefer fruit woods like applewood and cherry. They're great for poultry and give a sweeter finish. They won't overpower the bird like hickory or walnut.

Start with a rub of various spices and seasonings that you prefer. You really can't go wrong here: remember that barbecue is a style, and personal style, as in fashion, often comes down to an individual's own tastes. Then finish with a great-tasting sauce.

The trick here is that you're cooking sugars over heat and sometimes open flame. That's a recipe for disaster if  your timing isn't perfect.  Come in late and apply evenly.

If you're successful, you're going to have a skin that's almost like glass. It's hard to the touch but crackles in your mouth. A slight smoke ring of pink on the outer portion of the meat and now we're in business. That glass-like skin is important not only because of the taste, but also because it is essentially a barrier that is keeping the juices in.

And in the third and final corner is fried chicken. Fried chicken is the plucky amateur fighter who may not be classically trained, or smokin' hot, but he's got all the tools to win this fight.

If barbecue is a style, then fried chicken might as well be a religion. Fried chicken recipes are family heirlooms that can be more precious than grandma's wedding ring. In the south, these recipes are passed down from generation to generation like a culinary birthright. You're either born into a great fried chicken family, or you keep figuring out reasons to wind up at your neighbor's house on Sunday afternoon around lunchtime.

When done right, fried chicken is crispy golden glory. Here are a few tips that I learned along my culinary journeys and at church potlucks. First, make sure to bring your bird up to room temperature before breading and frying it. Chicken is a delicate protein. Remember, this cooking process involves heating oil up to ridiculous temperatures then dropping the chicken into the heat bath. It's a shock to the system. I like to brine my chicken overnight in a bath of water, salt, and a little sugar. This helps keep the meat moist and tender. If you allow the meat to warm up a bit before cooking, then the shock of frying is lessened and meat will cook more evenly. 

You want a crispy golden skin that holds in the juices and flavor. Be sure to pick your favorite seasonings to mix in with your breading — that way the taste will shine through.

I prefer a buttermilk bath, then a simple breading. Be careful not to try to cook too much chicken at once or your oil temperature won't hold up. And always season at every step along the way. Lastly remember, deep fryers are for French fries and hush puppies. "Real" southern fried chicken is done in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. 

So there are the contenders, who is my champion? 

Well, it's not an easy choice. Each has their own place and time. I could smoke up some barbecue chicken for game day on Saturday, go out for some fine dining roasted chicken on Saturday night, then finish off the weekend with some Sunday afternoon fried chicken. That sounds like a heck of a weekend.

This fight is a 12th round split decision, but barbecue chicken is holding my championship belt. When done right, the ceiling is so high for barbecue chicken. Sweet, smoky, and savory — it hits all the major taste targets. A slow-cooked chicken has the greatest opportunity to stay moist and tender. The glass-like skin on a well-rubbed, well-sauced chicken pushes this bird to the stratosphere.

Like all good fights, the decision isn't without a little bit of controversy. On any given fight night, each of these three contenders could come out on top. I know one thing is for certain: I'm looking forward to tasting the rematch.