Chicken Fried Bacon’s Deliciousness Helped Make Bacon Popular
A lot of things have made bacon as popular as it is today. But some of bacon’s current success is due to a particular dish: chicken fried bacon.
Today, I thought I’d give you a peek into where this dish came from, how it grew in popularity and what exactly “chicken fried bacon” is. The crazy and mouthwatering details follow after the jump.
Chicken Fried Bacon: The Basics
Chicken Fried Bacon is exactly what it sounds like. To make it, you dip bacon in chicken-flavoured batter and then deep fry it. It’s usually served with “white” gravy – the creamy country gravy you see served with a lot of southern dishes.
Chicken Fried Bacon was invented by Frank Sodolak at his restaurant, Sodolak’s Original Country Inn.
Sodolak is no longer sure of when he invented it, but it was apparently created at some point in the late 90s. He was fooling around with the deep fryer one night and putting stuff into it (I have a feeling that this is how most major world-changing discoveries are made). At one point, he threw in some strips of bacon.
And voila, chicken-fried bacon!
Chicken Fried Bacon: The How To
The exact method of preparation that Sodolak uses is as follows: he takes some uncooked bacon and then dips it twice in a prepared mixture of flour and milk. Then he puts these slices in his frying apparatus for about three to four minutes. After that, he takes it out and serves it with a bowl of country gravy.
Just a note, though: Frank Sodolak serves this dish – several strips of deep-fried bacon – as an appetizer.
Chicken Fried Bacon and the Bacon Revolution
Chicken fried bacon may have been a 90s invention, but its real popularity began in the mid 2000s. In about 2006, it exploded in popularity, due partially to the video below. In it, Frank Sodolak talks about creating chicken fried bacon. You also get a whole bunch of shots of chicken fried bacon and people enjoying the chicken fried bacon. It’s pretty mesmerizing.
Since the spread of this video, chicken fried bacon has become a popular dish. In 2008, it won the Texas State Fair for “Best Tasting” dish. As well, there are many restaurants around the U.S. that have been inspired by the video, and have started serving it. In fact, the infographic from a few days ago suggests that this dish has been one of the main trends that helped spark the renaissance of bacon.
But What Does it Taste Like?
The general consensus is that chicken fried bacon tastes pretty darned good. Sodolak says that some people at his restaurant only eat two servings of it as a meal, rather than as just an appetizer.
A reviewer of Sodolak’s restaurant says that, “The taste is rather subtle — a more peppery bacon would probably work out wonderfully — and the strips are surprisingly light on your stomach.” Some folks might have listened to this advice: the chicken fried bacon that won the Texas State Fair was a pepper variety.
What do you think of chicken fried bacon? Do you think you would ever make it at home?
There are dozens of variations of the Chicken Fried Bacon recipe in every family’s kitchen and restaurant. But here we introduce two great recipes that help bring the flavor of smoked meat to a new level.
Let’s go with them!
#1. Chicken Fried Bacon Recipe Supreme
- Difficulty:
- Easy
- Preparation Time:
20 Minutes
I have a friend from Texas, and she told me that she was making “Chicken Fried Steak” one night for her boyfriend. Obviously, I asked “What the heck is Chicken Fried Steak?!” To make a long story short, she explained that it was a tenderized steak that was dipped in batter and deep fried like chicken, hence chicken fried. She went on to explain that “anything could be chicken fried”, which got me thinking… what about bacon?
Chicken Fried Bacon needs something to go with it, though. You could make traditional southern gravy to top it, yes, but I was thinking something along the lines of another meat to compliment it. If I can do Chicken fried Bacon, what about Bacon Fried Chicken. Imagine: Chicken Fried Bacon, with Bacon Fried Chicken. Stay tuned for the details of the latter, soon.
Now this recipe couldn’t be easier. Make the batter, dip the bacon in the batter, and fry it. Here we go!
Ingredients
For Batter:
15 Strips Maple Leaf Bacon
1 ½ cups All Purpose flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup buttermilk
2 Eggs
1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper
½ tbsp. Chilli Powder
1 tbsp Paprika
Salt and Pepper
Directions
1. Like I said, this dish is SUPER easy. Combine all your dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk them together until they are combined nicely.
2. Add your eggs and your milk to the mixture and continue to whisk until all the lumps have gone and the mixture is smooth. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes.
3. Once the batter has rested, dip a strip of bacon in, swirl it around and then throw it in a pan of vegetable oil or a deep fryer at 350°F. Now don’t literally throw it. You’ll burn yourself, and then probably sue me. So here I am saying it, don’t literally throw it – now you can’t sue, haha!
4. Fry the bacon for 10 minutes, until the outside is crispy and brown.
Eat the crispy bacony goodness.
#2. Bacon Fried Chicken Recipe Stuffed with Kindness
- Difficulty:
- Easy
- Preparation Time:
Over Night Prep. 30 minutes cook
In Chicken Fried Bacon Recipe Supreme recipe, I introduced you all to the magic of Chicken Fried Bacon. I also alluded to the possibility of combining it with something equally as wonderful – Bacon Fried Chicken.
In this, we are using only the fat from the bacon to fry the chicken. Does that mean we are not using the bacon meat itself? Hell no! That would be a travesty punishable by lethal injection (don’t think the republic passed that law yet).
When I was researching the best way to prepare this dish, I came across a recipe from a place called Cap’n Charlie’s. After reading through the details, I knew I had to use it. It was perfect. They named it their “Bits-of-Bacon Fried Chicken”. The recipe is designed such that not only are you using ONLY the bacon fat to fry the chicken, the little bits of bacon will adhere themselves to the outside of the pieces of chicken – a crispy bacon crust, if you will.
A word of WARNING: you must be gentle when frying your chicken. I was not, and I didn’t get a nice even bacon-crust on all my pieces of chicken. So learn from me, treat your chicken with care. Love your chicken. Love your chicken like you love your mother…or your bacon.
Ingredients
12 strips Maple Leaf Bacon
3 Maple Leaf Prime Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 cup Buttermilk
1 Egg yolk
1 cup All Purpose flour
1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper
Salt and pepper
Directions
1. Cut chicken breasts into strips, kind of like chicken fingers. What am I talking about, these are exactly like chicken fingers.
2. In a resealable plastic bag, put in your buttermilk and egg yolk. Shake it up to break the egg yolk and distribute it throughout the milk, then throw in your chicken pieces. Shake it up again to make sure everything is coated and whack it in the fridge.
3. Marinate your chicken for at least an hour. Overnight is best.
4. Once your chicken is ready, take it out of the fridge and dredge each piece in flour that’s been seasoned with cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Set this aside.
5. Dice bacon into very small pieces. Place this diced bacon in cold frying pan and spread it out over the surface of the pan. Place chicken on top of bed of bacon and fry slowly until chicken is cooked and the outside is crispy. Now this is going to take a little bit. Probably at least 15 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken pieces. But just remember, be gentle. Turn your chicken gently.
6. Once the chicken is done (you might have to sacrifice a piece or two to check the doneness), dry everything on some paper towel, then serve alongside your Chicken Fried Bacon.
Is there any match better than Bacon Fried Chicken with Chicken Fried Bacon?