Neyers Vineyards Bruce's Journal
Legendary Fried Chicken
By Bruce Neyers
Saturday 2nd March, 2024
The World’s Best Fried Chicken – Serve it with a nice bottle of wine
As a kid growing up in Wilmington, Delaware, I ate well. This was largely due to my maternal grandmother, who lived on a farm in the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She cooked three meals a day, for her husband, her brother and her father — all of whom worked the farm – and for her two daughters. I spent many summer days on that farm, and dinner with my ‘farm family’ was one of my treats.
Chicken with homemade dumplings was my favorite meal. As I got older, though, I advanced to fried chicken, which is still a special today. My mother would prepare fried chicken only on my birthday. Barbara has her own version, and it doesn’t appear often either. She calls it ‘Three Day Fried Chicken’, as each day requires a small but crucially important step. I adore it.
We enjoyed it on a rainy weekend evening early this month. It was served hot, just out of the frying pan. I broke out a bottle of our 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Neyers Ranch’, along with a red Bordeaux from 2015. Both wines were lovely, and while the Neyers Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon was slightly fuller and richer, the red Bordeaux – from Saint Julien – was smooth and powerful. We spent much of the evening trying to pick a favorite.
One of my colleagues at TFE reminded me recently that we had sent this recipe out a few years ago, and she thought some of the new folks in our life might enjoy trying it. It’s reprinted below. I suggest you try Barbara’s three-day fried chicken with a bottle of Neyers Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. The two are perfectly matched. The chicken is juicy yet crunchy, and loaded with flavor. The Neyers Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is rich and full-bodied, with an exotic aroma, complex flavors, and a long, gratifying finish.
Barbara’s Three Day Fried Chicken might be more correctly called ‘Barbara’s Fried Chicken That Requires a Small Bit of Attention Over Three Days’.
Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts
- 4 chicken thighs
- 4-6 chicken drumsticks
- Rock salt
- Milk
- Peanut oil
- Flour
- Corn meal
- Salt & pepper
Preparation
- Rinse the chicken and put in a bowl with the rock salt surrounding each piece. Refrigerate for one day.
- Wash off the rock salt and put the chicken in a clean bowl and cover with milk. Refrigerate for one day.
- Remove the chicken from the milk and rinse in water. Bread the chicken with a mixture of flour and cornmeal.
- Heat the peanut oil in cast iron pans and fry the chicken, turning occasionally until browned and the juices run clear.
- Drain and cool the chicken for 10 minutes before serving. The chicken can be refrigerated and served the next day.
The Neyers Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, starting from the top elevation of 800′, looking due south to vines planted along Conn Creek at an elevation of 400′. Our house sits in the middle, surrounded by redwood trees. The wine cellar juts out to the left, from the outside structure.It’s full of delicious wine that I am working hard to consume.
| Barbara’s Three Day Fried Chicken might be more correctly called ‘Barbara’s Fried Chicken That Requires a Small Bit of Attention Over Three Days’. |
The old Franco-Swiss Winery, the remains of which are next door to our ranch. The upper photo is a vineyard photo from circa 1890 — I am told — and is the parcel we now call our Reservoir Block. We have planted it to Cabernet Sauvignon.
Peanut and Montauk grazing in the parcel called Toni’s Block. After the rains this year, they are going to need a healthy appetite.
Neyers Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon label
Our beloved feral cat George has lived with us for well over a decade now, but refuses to accept our offer to move inside. He’d rather grow a heavy coat and sleep outside, beneath the eaves of the roof, where the fireplace chimney provides additional warmth. It’s dry there, even during the worst of storms, and the temperature is in the 70’s. You just need to keep a cautious eye out for intruders.
