I think fried chicken is just about the most perfect summer food ever invented. And I can't think of a more perfect meal to pack up and take to the beach with us. Add a little potato salad and fruit on the side, some lemonade or sun tea...mmmm...summer in a basket!
My Grammer makes just about the best fried chicken in the world. I remember it being perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I made her chicken once right after college. I had to call her then to get instructions, but I didn't write them down. I've been thinking about her fried chicken for weeks.
S had a good friend over for dinner last night (a country boy from the back hills of Virginia), so it was the perfect time to try to see if I could recreate her recipe. There was not a piece of chicken left in the skillet, so it must have been good. That's a whole chicken plus another package of legs in one sitting.
Oh, and a little side note...Can I tell you know how much flack I got from the two of them for making them wait to eat until I ran into the house to get my camera? A lot. A ton. It went on for a least 10 minutes.
Here's what I did.
Ingredients:
one whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or you can buy whole chickens already cut)
large iron skillet...yes, it has to be a cast iron skillet
two shallow bowls
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of milk
2 Tbsp. course salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 qt. vegetable oil
Directions:
1. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil to medium high heat, about 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, salt and pepper in one of the bowls.
3. Pour the milk into the other bowl.
4. Dredge the chicken pieces first in the milk and then in the flour mixture.
5. Gently place the chicken into the skillet being careful not to splash the oil.
6. Brown the chicken on both sides, turning the pieces over once...about 12 minutes on each side. Then cover the skillet and turn the heat down to medium low. Continue to cook the chicken on medium low for another 20 minutes or so until the juices run clear.
7. Drain on a plate covered with paper towels.
I drained the extra oil out of the skillet into a coffee can, then put the chicken back into the skillet and served it. The warm skillet holds the heat well and kept the chicken warm while we ate outside. I must have gotten pretty close to Grammer's recipe because, like I said, there wasn't a crumb left in the pan.
How'd I do Grammer? My other grandmother's red velvet cake is up next.
Happy Friday ya'll!