Pollo Frito

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: Italian Southern Comfort

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (109)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(109)

Cook Time:
30 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
4 servings

Times:

Prep: 10 min
Inactive Prep: 2 hr 0 min
Cook: 30 min
Total:: 2 hr 40 min

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Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (2 to3 lemons, depending on size)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (3 1/2-pound) whole frying chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups olive oil (approximate amount)
1 cup all-purpose flour (approximate amount)
Lemon wedges, for garnish
6 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Directions

In a large casserole dish, whisk the lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt to blend. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day, turning the chicken pieces occasionally.

In a large cast iron frying pan or other heavy frying pan, add enough oil to come 1/3-inch up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat. Meanwhile, drain the marinade from the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with pepper. Working in 2 batches, dredge the chicken in the flour to coat completely. Shake off the excess flour and then carefully add the chicken to the hot oil. Fry until the chicken is golden brown and just cooked through, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil.

Arrange the fried chicken on a warm platter and serve with the lemon wedges and parsley.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Pollo Frito
Nicci Redding, CA 03-06-2010
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DELICIOUS:) SIMPLE,AWESOME RECIPE
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

MY FAMILY AND I THOUGHT IT WAS MOIST,FLAVORFUL,LIGHT,CRISP AND DELECTIBLE. NO LEFT OVERS HERE:) I TOO LEFT LEMON ZEST IN... THE MARINADE TO STREGTHEN THE LEMON TASTE,ALSO DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH OLIVE OIL TO FRY IN,ONLY MARINADE,SO USED CANOLA OIL,WHICH WORKED OUT JUST FINE. WILL MAKE AGAIN!!Read more
recipe Pollo Frito
Jeffrey Dallas, TX 01-10-2010
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Lemon fried chicken on steriods!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Gotta say that I love it but had to kick it up a notch by using 1 lemon per piece of chicken, marinating overnight with the... zest and juiced lemons in a bag for extra flavor then I added a ton of lemon pepper seasoning to the flour... mmmmm. And of course you gotta squeeze fresh lemon juice on the hot chicken before eating. I had to go all out with a side of grilled polenta cakes and creamy basil mashed potatoes. Awesome!!!Read more
recipe Pollo Frito
Nichole Tampa, FL 01-01-2009
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Moist on the inside, crispy on the outside!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is the best fried chicken recipe I've ever tried. I didn't leave enough time (1 hr) for the chicken to marinade so I... used 4 lemons. The breasts weren't as flavorful as the rest of the chicken. The chicken had a subtle lemon flavor, was very moist, the crust was crispy, and the meat fell off the bone - a perfect combination! Read more
recipe Pollo Frito
Anonymous 02-20-2008
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Excellent!!!!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Excellent!!!
recipe Pollo Frito
Anonymous 11-01-2007
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excellent!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

The best fried chicken I've ever had. Excellent flavor. Easy to prepare.
recipe Pollo Frito
michelle matthews, NC 10-10-2007
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Fantastic!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I thought I had tried every possible way to fry chicken to feed my 4 kids, but this was a new refreshing recipe. The lemon... gives it such a great flavor, all 4 kids devoured it and my husband loved it too. I did add a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the flour before I coated to chicken so that it would have some flavor in the crust. Chicken was very juicy. This one will be a regular for us from now on!Read more