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A+ Southern Fried Chicken

Source of Recipe

From "The Complete Southern Cookbook" by Tammy Algood


Recipe Introduction

"A+ is the grade you'll get from your family when this recipe is served. I could quite literally put hundreds of versions of this recipe in this chapter, but there's only one way to do it, and this is it! See the seasoning variations listed below."

List of Ingredients

• 1 large whole chicken, cut into pieces
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup bacon drippings
• 1 cup vegetable shortening or lard
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp paprika


Recipe

Place the chicken pieces in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper. Set aside 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the buttermilk, water, and eggs. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate one hour.

In a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven, heat the drippings, shortening, and butter to 350°F. Place the flour in a shallow dish and add the paprika. Roll the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess. Fry in batches 10 to 15 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is completely done. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

Makes 6 servings



Fried chicken can be changed in flavor just be switching the seasonings.

• Substitute garlic salt, onion salt, celery salt, or seasoned salt for the salt.
• Substitute red pepper, cayenne, Creole seasoning, or Cajun seasoning for the paprika.
• Substitute red pepper or cayenne for the black pepper.