So dear readers... how many posts have I whined about in the last 6 months saying how badly I was craving good old Southern Fried Chicken? Enough that I finally got myself in gear to just do it! And yes, I'm happy to report I had a very Southern dinner last week - Fried Chicken, Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits, Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes with Gravy.
I finally got my fried chicken... but I admit, I'm craving it again already! I have a feeling I'll be making it again soon, which might not be a bad thing considering a whole chicken, cut for frying isn't too bad on the food budget, being one of the more affordable foods right now!
Fried Chicken
1 whole chicken, cut for frying (8 pieces or so)
1 1/2 c self rising flour
1/2 t salt
1 t black pepper
*optional: cayenne, sage, accent, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder
oil for frying
Soak the chicken pieces in salt water for 15 minutes. Drain. Mix the seasonings with the flour - you really only need salt, pepper and flour, but can add a few other spices too. Just don't get too heavy handed with them. 1/4 teaspoon is a good starting point for adding extra's and increasing from there.
Coat the chicken and let it set for about 15-30 minutes if you have time. This helps the coating stay on through frying. Heat about 1 1/2 cups oil or shortening in a pan over medium high. It's important the oil is not too hot! This is one of the mistakes I made through the first few years of our marriage. Every time I tried to make fried chicken it would be golden brown on the outside and un-cooked on the inside. The trick is to have the oil be hot enough to sizzle a bit when the chicken is lowered into the pan, but not enough for the oil to splatter and jump all over the place. If it's too hot remove the pan from the heat, let it cool down a bit and then add your chicken. Cook half the time, turn, cook the other half. Turning again if necessary.
The chicken will take about 20-30 minutes to cook completely. It should be golden brown and done all the way through. Drain for a few minutes and serve.
Here is my spices - 1 1/2 c self rising flour, 1 1/2 t pepper, 1 t Accent,1/2 t salt, 1/4 t garlic powder, 1/4 t onion powder, a dash of sage and a dash of paprika
Ready to go into the oven~ Southern Biscuits!I reserved about 1/4 cup of the seasoned flour to mix
into my biscuits. I love them flavored this way with gravy!
PS: This is not my 'regular' biscuit recipe - you'll find the one I usually
make in the 'breads' links to the right - along with photos. This was just a quick and simple
recipe using self rising flour, shortening and buttermilk.
The chicken floured and setting for a bit.The camera's flash made it look a little orange colored
but here it is frying in the pan... yum!
