Venessa Williams’ Cajun Moon Funky Fried Chicken

Not just anyone gets the honor of feeding Mardi Gras’s fiercest krewe, but New Orleans caterer Venessa Williams, a lifetime Louisiana resident and accomplished singer who sometimes performs with Kermit Ruffins, is one of the lucky few. Commissioned yearly to feed the crowd at the Zulu Social Aide and Pleasure Club’s annual parade party, she prepares thousands of pieces of her famous bird in giant, mobile, jerry-rigged fryers she designed herself. That chicken—accompanied by her tender, beautifully seasoned (and totally vegetarian) red beans and rice—have made her the go-to girl for church suppers, funerals, and Super Bowl parties alike. Williams’s subtly spicy chicken is easy to replicate at home. She insists on using chilled chicken parts, an essential step for developing the crispest crust possible. That, and something a bit more intangible. “It’s all about the vibrations,” she trilled as she made us a batch in her kitchen, a tableful of ornate crucifixes stationed not ten feet away. Frying the cayenne-seasoned chicken in a stockpot filled halfway with oil, she watched as the chicken bobbed up and down in perfect pitch with its maker. “Keep it harmonious, and the chicken will follow,” she said. 

OccasionCasual Dinner Party

Dietary ConsiderationSoy Free, Tree Nut Free

Five Ingredients or LessYes