On this day in 1962 Harlan Sanders, also known as Colonel Sanders, filed the patent for PROCESS OF PRODUCING FRIED CHICKEN UNDER PRESSURE for Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation. U.S. Patent No. 3,245,800.
The present invention relates to a method or process for producing fried chicken under pressure.
Generally the process contemplates the deep-fat frying of chicken under accurately controlled conditions of temperature, pressure, time, sizes of serving pieces, and amount and composition of breading used, for the purpose of producing superior taste, texture and appearance in the finished product.
I have found that chickens weighing between 2¼ and 2½ pounds dressed and cut into 8 to 10 serving pieces and correctly breaded should, for best flavor, texture and appearance, be dropped into relatively hot fat (350° to 400° Fahrenheit) to start the browning of the breading and to seal the exterior of the serving piece against loss of its natural juices. The cold chicken quickly (in 1 to 2 minutes) lowers the temperature of the accurately measured quantity of fat to a temperature of 250° F. Then the chicken should be cooked for about 8 minutes under about 15 pounds per square inch of gauge pressure to maintain the 250° F. cooking temperature without further loss of moisture from the breading and without any drying out of the chicken pieces.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a novel process for quickly and thoroughly. frying chicken under pressure in a manner to seal in substantially all the natural juices while browning the breaded surface thereof to desired crispness and appearance.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a process in which the time, temperature and breading composition are so correlated to the sizes of the serving pieces that optimal taste, appearance and texture of the cooked chicken are produced.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of the character described in which air under pressure may be introduced under certain circumstances to prevent loss of natural juices from the chicken pieces.
