Chapter 226: Deep-Frying Everything
Amidst everyone’s eager anticipation, the first batch of fried chicken was finally ready!
Fu Chao, who was acting as her assistant, was drooling uncontrollably.
All the hard labor in the mountains these past few days had burned a ton of calories, but the meals had been lean, leaving him ravenous.
He almost never touched high-calorie food like fried chicken in order to maintain his figure, but now his eyes were lit with a hungry gleam, and he was desperate to just grab a piece and wolf it down.
Fortunately, he had his priorities straight and knew he had to exercise some self-control.
He and Xie Yu first handed out the fried chicken, starting with Teacher Zhang and the others.
Next were the children, followed by the on-site production crew.
Fu Chao and Xie Yu didn’t rush to eat, turning to ask Nan Zhi first.
Nan Zhi shook her head.
“You two go ahead and eat.”
This time, Fu Chao didn’t hesitate. He eagerly stuffed a drumstick into his mouth—
Crisp.
Absolutely, perfectly crisp.
His teeth met the outer shell, producing a series of sharp, satisfying CRUNCHES.
Scalding steam erupted from the crack in the crust, instantly searing his mouth.
But he couldn’t bring himself to pull away. An even richer aroma of chicken burst forth with the steam, rising from his mouth and flooding his senses until he closed his eyes in pure ecstasy.
Even though the children had handled the breading, Nan Zhi’s supervision ensured there were no issues with the seasoning.
And even if there had been, the deep-frying process more than made up for any minor flaws, elevating the flavor of a simple drumstick to a whole new level!
This was the definition of crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. This was what a rich, savory aroma truly was. This was carb-fueled bliss…
‘So blissful!’
All the hardship and exhaustion from the past few days were swept away in an instant!
Fu Chao thought in satisfaction, so lost in the moment that he didn’t even notice he had already picked the bone in his hand completely clean, not leaving behind a single shred of meat.
GULP.
He swallowed hard. Fu Chao was satisfied, but also frustrated.
‘If I’d known, I would have eaten slower!’
‘A tiny little drumstick like that is barely a mouthful!’
And so, Fu Chao gazed longingly at the wok.
As for the large steel bowl?
It had been picked clean just a few minutes before.
Fortunately, Nan Zhi was highly efficient. It wasn’t long before the second batch was ready.
This time, Fu Chao ate with extreme care, as if he weren’t eating fried chicken but some priceless delicacy.
After shamelessly licking the chicken bone clean, Fu Chao belatedly remembered his status as an A-list movie star. Feeling a bit embarrassed and mortified, he quickly scanned his surroundings…
‘Phew, good.’
‘No one else is in a much better state than I am.’
‘In that case, I can relax!’
Having subconsciously forgotten about the cameras, Fu Chao spoke with a happy chuckle.
“I guess it’s just been too long since I’ve had fried chicken.”
Xie Yu shot him a look.
“Not all fried chicken tastes like this.”
In other words, only fried chicken made by Nan Zhi could reach this level!
Fu Chao paused, stunned.
“I thought making fried chicken was supposed to be easy.”
Xie Yu scoffed.
“I used to work at K*C, making fried chicken. Often, the simplest-looking cooking is actually the most difficult.”
Things like temperature control… If you over-fry it, the meat becomes dry and tough. If you under-fry it, the skin isn’t crispy enough.
In short, it looks simple, but it’s actually quite difficult.
In any case, Xie Yu felt that Nan Zhi’s fried chicken was a hundred times more delicious than what they made at the restaurant where he used to work.
Fu Chao was surprised at first, but then his expression turned worried.
“Oh, that’s terrible.”
“What’s so terrible?”
“After these kids have tasted Nan Zhi’s cooking, their standards for fried chicken will be raised so high they’ll probably think all other fried chicken tastes bad!”
What Fu Chao said sounded like a joke, but surprisingly, Xie Yu agreed.
“Mm, that’s a very good point.”
The two had reached an agreement.
A flood of question marks scrolled across the live comments:
[Are they exaggerating this much? It’s just fried chicken. How good can it possibly be?]
[Huh, that line sounds familiar. Didn’t people say the same thing when Nan Zhi had her fried rice stand?]
[We heard it when she opened Nan Family’s Small Restaurant, too. Hehe.]
[Always trying, always getting owned. Keep it up, haters! You can do it!]
[I’m more curious about how many jobs Xie Yu has actually worked. /s]
[HOLY CRAP! I just made fried chicken following the steps Nan Zhi taught, and it is seriously, unbelievably, EXPLOSIVELY delicious! It’s better than any fried chicken joint I’ve ever been to!]
[For real? You can replicate it just from watching the stream?]
[For real! But you have to remember all the key steps Nan Zhi pointed out. I basically copied her every move. It’s a live stream, after all, so as long as you match her timing, it works perfectly!]
[Oh yeah, we can just follow along with the live stream! You’re a genius!]
…
It wasn’t just on the live stream.
Across all the major social media platforms, countless netizens were already showing off their own versions of “Nan Zhi’s Fried Chicken.”
They started by learning the seasoning and breading, then perfectly replicated the frying process step-by-step.
The final result was beyond their wildest dreams!
They all agreed: it was the best fried chicken they had ever eaten!
At the same time, a single question sparked in the minds of netizens—
‘If it’s this delicious when we just follow her instructions, how amazing must the chicken fried by Nan Zhi herself taste?’
…
How delicious was the chicken fried by Nan Zhi’s own hands?
The large steel bowls, picked clean batch after batch, provided the answer.
No one thought it was too greasy, and no one had eaten their fill.
On the contrary, every bite of fried chicken brought a fresh wave of joy.
It got to the point that even Nan Zhi couldn’t just stand by and watch. After a third of the mountain of fried chicken had vanished, she turned to frying french fries and potato wedges.
Potatoes cooked much faster than chicken.
In the blink of an eye, a small mountain of french fries was piled high in another large steel bowl.
Nan Zhi sprinkled fine salt into the bowl, tossing the fries to coat them evenly.
Fu Chao and the others then passed them out to everyone.
They were much more generous handing out the fries than they had been with the drumsticks, simply because there were so many.
Everyone got a generous scoop, served with Nan Zhi’s homemade ketchup.
The fries were golden and crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and utterly addictive!
Eventually, Nan Zhi wasn’t limiting herself to just chicken and fries. She started grabbing anything in the kitchen that could be fried, breading it, and tossing it into the hot oil.
This included apples. She breaded and fried them as well. When they came out, the apple inside was molten hot, while the crust remained perfectly crisp. It was unbelievably delicious.
According to Nan Zhi, this dish wasn’t her own invention. There’s a dessert in the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast called Crispy Apples that works on a similar principle, though her version was much less complicated.
Nan Zhi hadn’t forgotten about the Hulu Chicken she’d prepared earlier. She brought it out and fried it as well, until even the bones were crisp enough to eat.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much of the Hulu Chicken, so everyone only got a small bite at most.
But even that small bite was enough to give everyone a glimpse into the splendor of a top-tier dish from the Tang Dynasty, a thousand years ago.
And just like that, amidst the rich, savory aroma of fried food, the second cooking class drew to a close.
This episode didn’t receive as much critical acclaim as the last one, but its reach was far wider.
Because “Nan Zhi’s Fried Chicken” was simple and easy to make, the recipe went viral across the internet, becoming an unrivaled sensation overnight!