Fried Chicken

There's nothing like frying some chicken. Yes, its one of those items that can be rather unhealthy, but I am a true believer in moderation. Remember, I used to be a big person and my usual meal was having something fried. Was it good? Sure. But I had learned the hard way that you can still enjoy fried food, but it has to be not so very often. Nowadays, I think I might have fried chicken once in a while (even something as a burger from a local chain). When I do have a hunkering for fried chicken, I make enough to last for a couple of days. MC likes to have fried chicken cold the next day, so the rest of this chicken is for MC's lunch. Very much enjoyed, believe you me.

The following recipe is something that I have done since I learned how to fry chicken from my grandmother. She had shown me many different ways to fry chicken, but I find that I like this recipe since it creates a nice crust.

Ingredients:

12 pieces of chicken (preferably leg quarters, cut in halves)
1/2 gallon of vegetable oil (or enough to cover the chicken when frying)

flour mixture
2 - 3 cups flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning (regular seasoning should suffice)
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper

liquid mixture
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Start to cut the chicken in half and rinsing with water. Again, like most food items, I prefer to rinse my food to take off any preservatives, etc. After you have rinsed all of the chicken, salt and pepper the chicken and place off to the side.

After you have rinsed, cut, and salted/peppered the chicken, start to placing the eggs to a large bowl. Add the milk and then all of the spices.

 

 

 

 

Sift the flour and add the spices to the mix. Notice that I using the same spices that you have used in the liquid mixture.

Now that you have added all of the spices to both your wet and dry mixtures, mix each. I use a fork with the flour mixture and whisk well with the liquid mixture.

 

 

Place at least two pieces of chicken into the liquid mixture.Allow the mixture to soak for a minute or two.

 

Once you have taken the chicken from the liquid mixture, add the pieces of chicken into the flour mixture. Make sure you coat the chicken well.

 

After the chicken is well covered, add again back to the liquid mixture making sure that the chicken is covered with egg mixture and place back in the flour mixture.

 

  
Make sure you heat the oil. Sometimes, I have used a large cast iron skillet. Luckily, we purchased an electric skillet. This is perfect when cooking large amounts of chicken. Add the oil to the skillet. You wan to make sure its filled halfway. It assures that the chicken will be covered in oil. Heat the oil on high. After about 5 minutes, you can test to see if the oil is well heated by adding a small pieces of dough. If it starts to cooking or popping, then its ready.

 

 
Once you notice that the flour is cooking well, you may start to add the chicken to the skillet. Add each piece assuring that there is some space between each piece. After you have placed the chicken to the skillet, cover and allow to cook. Cook for about 5 minutes covered. Check the chicken and flip. Cover the chicken and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Take a thermometer and check to see that the internal temperature reads between 160-180 degrees.

 

Cover a cookie sheet with some paper towels.  This allows the chicken to drain any excess oil onto the covered cookie sheet. Notice that the crust is a golden brown. This is what you want for a crust. You can preheat your oven to 200 degrees and this keeps the chicken warm while you are cooking the rest of the chicken.

Needless to say, this was great on a for any evening. I made the chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans and White Cream Gravy. Ya gotta keep people happy with some really great food! : )

Making Gravy - White Cream Gravy

What is it about gravies/sauces that makes food taste so damn good? So earlier one day, I decided that I wanted to make some Fried Chicken, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to make either a Brown or Cream Gravy. Normally, I make Brown Gravy with a dish that has beef or pork whereas chicken gets a cream.

Well, then. I guess you can surmise what I ended up making - cream. I haven't, though, shared how I make this type of sauce. Below is a simple recipe that I have done for many years. I originally learned to make white cream gravy from Graham Kerr. As time has gone by, I have made changes every time I make this rich gravy. I have to admit, this is one gravy that might make you want to drink it. LOL!

Ingredients:

2 to 4 tbsp vegetable oil (preferably oil you used to fry chicken)
1/3 cup flour (additional flour, if necessary)
1 cup milk
1 tbsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp minced garlic
additional milk or chicken stock (to help in thickness/thinning of gravy)
additional salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken stock

If you are using oil from when you fried chicken, skim out the oil. Notice that I am skimming any of the pieces that were left behind from cooking the chicken. This would be rather clear.

 

Start to heat the oil in the small pot (you could also use a sauce pan) on high heat. Add the flour to the heated oil.

 

Continue to stir every so often allowing the flour to cook for about 4 - 5 minutes. You will start to notice that the flour starts to become a little creamy white. Basically, you are making a roux. The darker the roux, the darker the gravy.

 

Add the milk to the cooking flour. While you are slowly adding the milk to the flour, continue to whisk.

 

Then add the spices to the mixture. Remember to continue to stir while you are adding all of the spices. Stir and cook for about 4 minutes. Taste to see if you need to add additional salt and pepper to the gravy. Lower the heat to med/med low.

 

Add the chicken stock to the gravy making sure you mix well. Allow to continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Lower the heat and allow to continue to cook for another 10 minutes stirring on occasion. If the gravy is too thick, add additional milk or chicken stock to the gravy. Notice that the gravy will be ready when you have a thick coat of gravy on your gravy spoon.

I really do love making various types of gravies and sauces. They are so easy to make and compliment any meal especially good Southern food such as homemade Fried Chicken.