After More Than 35 Iterations, Chef Sam Fore’s Fried Chicken Is (Almost) Perfect

I think I’ve done more research on fried chicken than I did for my senior thesis on marketing,” laughs Sam Fore. The self-taught chef/owner of the year-old Tuk Tuk Snack Shop in Lexington, Ky., began her fried chicken journey in 2017. 

She realized it was a lofty goal to take on fried chicken in the land of KFC, but Fore (now a Kentucky Colonel herself) started with what she knew: the Sri Lankan thuna paha mix of cumin, coriander, and black pepper that’s used as the base of her chicken curry. The blend has since grown to 15 ingredients, including brown mustard seeds, curry leaves, and cardamom. Then came the marinades, around 37 or so trials, where she played with yogurt, lemon juice, and vinegar until she was sold on full-fat buttermilk. The dredge technique and ratios entailed more than 22 iterations. Fore started with a blend of rice and AP flours, but has switched to a gluten-free mix of sorghum, rice, cornstarch, and tapioca flours. Her team pounds each piece of chicken with the dredge to get it into every nook and cranny. Frying oils ranged from vegetable to canola, and cooking temps from 305°F to 375°F (she settled on a mix of vegetable and soy bean oils and 335°F for 7 1⁄2 minutes). She also opts for skinless, boneless thighs, as they are more consistent and predictable for off-site events. Fore even used a timer to track the average time it took guests to finish the chicken. “I needed it to stay crispy for around 16 minutes,” she says. What started as a spritz of lime juice at pick-up morphed into a sprinkling of house lime salt, “because I wanted more acid without making it soggy,” says Fore, “and to bring out the mustard seed, cinnamon, and cardamom notes when a guest tries it. For me it’s the moment when they sit back and their eyes roll up and they’re like, ‘Man, that’s a good bite.’ That’s the perfection I’m going for.”

Liz Grossman is editor-in-chief of Plate.