Good Food Festival combines local farming and culinary expertise

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The annual Good Food Festival and Conference brings together some of our nation's farming and culinary leaders, hoping to transform the way we eat; all with local and sustainable food and drink. Founder of FamilyFarmed, Jim Slama, and Co-Owner of Big Jones, Paul Fehribach, stopped by the ABC 7 studios to give us a taste of what's in store.

Good Food Festival and Conference

March 19-21, 2015

Thursday (8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.); Friday (8:30 a.m.-7 p.m./Localicious Event, 7-9:30 p.m.); Saturday (8:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m.)

UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, Ill. 60607

Ticket Prices:

Friday Localicious Event - $70; Saturday Food Festival - $10 online/$15 on-site; Thursday and Friday Conferences, and individual panels, workshops, classes - $35- $100

Chef Paul Fehribach's Fried Chicken

*Served with heirloom purple barley from Hazzard Free Farm, parsnips from Genesis Growers, and Kilgus cream.

Ingredients:

For the brine, in a large, one gallon bowl with cover:

1 small frying chicken about 3 pounds, cut at the joints - leg, thigh, breast, wing, plus the lower back (my favorite when I was a kid because it's all crispy skin!)

2 quarts iced water

1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 tablespoon granulated onion

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 bay leaves

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, or one teaspoon dried

Place the chicken and all other ingredients in a large bowl with fitting lid, stir gently to disperse the seasonings, cover, and refrigerate at least eight hours or overnight.

For the dredge:

1 quart all-purpose white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper

3 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground sage

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon Spanish paprika

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Preparation:

To fry, fill a large, 2-gallon cast iron Dutch oven, stock pot, or fry daddy halfway with freshly rendered lard or your favorite vegetable oil and heat to 375 degrees over medium-high heat.

In the meantime, place your dredge in a large shallow pan and take your chicken, still dripping wet, and lay it in the dredge, turn gently to coat, and make sure all the chicken pieces are thoroughly coated with dredge. Leave chicken in the dredge a few minutes to soak up more flour.

Once the oil reaches 375 degrees, remove the breasts from the dredge and gently lay skin side down in the hot oil. Cook the breasts for three minutes before adding the thighs.

Gently add the thighs skin side down. One minute later, add the legs and wings. Use a clip-on thermometer to maintain the temperature at 325 degrees.

After 10-12 minutes, turn the chicken over. The skin should be crispy and golden brown. Continue cooking another 6-8 minutes, until the thickest part of the breast registers 155 degrees internally. Drain on a wire rack or towel and serve at once or refrigerate to serve cold.