Fried Chicken
Print This Recipe
Double or triple this recipe. Always keep a big batch of crisp, Southern Fried Chicken in your freezer. The frozen pieces take only 35 minutes to cook, yet they taste just fried.
INGREDIENTS
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
5 tablespoons Fried Chicken Seasoning or your favorite seasonings
Oil, for frying
2 frying chickens, cut into serving-size pieces, Or 8 drumsticks or 8 breasts
Put flour, baking powder and seasonings in a large mixing bowl, mix well, and set aside.
Melt 1/2 oil and 1/2 shortening in a large frying pan to a depth of 1-1/2 to 2 inches; set aside over medium heat. Cut chicken into whatever pieces you want. Make sure oil is hot enough by dropping a drop of water into the hot oil/shortening. If it makes a popping sound, you are ready to fry. Another trick is to take a wooden spoon, put the handle end in the center of the pan, and if bubbles appear around the handle, the oil is ready.
Rinse a chicken piece in water. (You can mix nonfat dry milk with the water, but you don't have to.) While it is still dripping wet, dip it into the bowl of dry ingredients and coat as heavily as possible. (If you like extra crispy, dip in water again and coat again.) Place coated pieces into the hot oil, lower the heat if necessary. Brown the chicken on both sides; reduce heat to a low simmer, then cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes, turning the pieces once during this time. Most chickens will be cooked through and nicely browned at this point. Test for doneness by inserting a sharp pointed knife near a bone; but not touching, if the meat resists the knife tip, continue cooking and turning for up to 30 more minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Drain on a paper bag topped with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining pieces. (You can make more mix by adding 1 teaspoon baking powder and 2 tablespoons Fried Chicken Seasoning to every cup of flour.)
TO FREEZE - Let the fried chicken cool slightly. Place the pieces, uncovered and still on their paper, in the freezer overnight. (You can freeze them just long enough to be sure they won't stick together and aren't crumbly), or until frozen solid. Transfer pieces to a plastic Ziplock freezer bag, label, date and seal.
TO SERVE - Preheat oven to 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Place desired amount of chicken on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, turn pieces over. Bake for another 15 minutes, turn over again and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more or until crisped to your liking. (You can also microwave, but they don't come out crispy, but still taste good.)