How To Make The Best Fried Chicken In The USA.

By Oldschoozchef

I grew up in a small town in central Mississippi in the 60's and 70's and I came from a family that was "food rich" and "cash poor". We may of not had a lot of cash, but we always had plenty to eat.

My grandparents were farmers and they were very good at it. They grew all kinds of fruits and vegetables and would can them for the winter ahead after they sold what they could. We also ate fresh fish and fresh meats of the wild and domestic kind. But what I remember more vividly than anything else is, that fried chicken. That was the best fried chicken I'd ever eaten 'til this day. We'd just go look out in the yard, like people look through the supermarket aisles, see a young bird of about 3-5 pounds, and proclaim that to be the entree' of the day.

After processing the fresh fowl, my grandmother would let it soak in some (butter) milk for a few hours or overnight in the icebox, if company was coming over. She would then put a dash of poultry seasoning, cayenne pepper,black pepper, salt and either some garlic powder or some grated fresh garlic in the soakand that was it. Now this is where I had to really watch. She would take an egg and after draining the chicken, she would use the milk she had soaked it in, beat the egg in ...just enough for it to stick to the chicken.

She would then dip it in a little seasoned flour, using the same ingredients she used for the batter and shake it off. She used on of those cast iron chicken fryers and let some Crisco shortening get around 325 degrees. Then she would cover the skillet as the chicken would slowly brown to a honey colored hue and turn it over so the other side would brown lightly. Now , after letting that chicken cook for about 10 minutes at that temperature, she would take off the lid and turn the heat up ever so gently until it got around 350-360 degrees and let it cook, turning only once more each until then juices were running clear. When she took that chicken out and laid them on a paper bag to drain, all I could do was wait patiently for those few moments(which seemed like an eternity) for her to set the table with all the side dishes and pull that skillet cornbread out of the oven and then say to my grandfather, with a sweet smile on her face, "Daddy (that was her term of affection for my grandfather)...Supper's Ready"

Please do not try to cook cook your chicken this way. There is a secret that I left out and you will not be able to fry great chicken using the above method unless you know the secret. Instead, Follw the recipe below and you will have great "Southern Fried Chicken."

Here's a similar recipe that is truly Mississippian but remember, the fresh bird that's lived a happy life running around the barnyard, is gonna taste the best.

Mississippi Southern Fried Chicken

1 (3 pd) whole fresh chicken, cut up into 8 -12 pieces

1 tea. each of poultry seasoning, cayenne pepper,salt and granulated garlic

1/2 tea. ea. black pepper and paprika

1/2 tea. baking soda (helps in crusting)

2 cups of flour

Crisco shortening for frying.

Take the cut-up chicken, and place in a bowl(glass or stainless steel) filled with ice and water, about half and half covering the entire chicken. Place in refirgerator for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

Mix all of the seasonings together and put half in the flour/baking soda mix and sprinkle the rest over the chicken after you pull it from the iced bowl and pat completely dry.

Place a few pieces of chicken in a paper bag with the seasoned flour and shake vigorously, then take the chicken pieces out and tap off any excess flour. By the way, the reason for the ice cold water was so that the flour would stick better to the chicken while cooking and not fall off during the frying process.

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Have the skillet already heating to about 350-360 temperature (don't be to shy to use a thermometer) and lay chicken in skillet gently away from you.Do not crowd chicken. Cover and cook 5-7 minutes on each side or if using a deep fryer about 10-13 minutes should be enough. Dark pieces take longer than white so keep an eye on it or cook them seperately.

If you have some pickled jalapenos, squeeze the juice on a piece before biting or use your favorite hot sauce.

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Place on paper towels to drain and serve with Collard Greens with smoked neck bones, Macaroni & Cheese, Cole Slaw, Rice and Gravy, Hot Buttered Cornbread and deviled eggs or whatever you'd like to eat with it.

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