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Super Crisp Country Fried Chicken

Source of Recipe

From "Nathalie Dupree's Southern Memories"


Recipe Introduction

"Fried chicken is surely the South's most famous dish. The milk and egg batter makes it extra crispy. This recipe calls for frying the chicken in shortening, as it is so easy to handle and gives a crisper bird, but many prefer butter, as my great-uncle Harry Keiser does. In 1991, when he turned ninety-nine years of age, he pulled me aside to lecture me, saying butter was the only proper fat to fry chicken in, as it makes the bird deeply colored, delicious, and memorable. I agree, but it is more difficult because it burns, it's more expensive, and the chicken is not so crisp. If you do use butter, add a little oil to keep it from burning or, if you prefer, use clarified butter. For extra-spicy chicken, increase the black pepper to 3 teaspoons and the poultry seasoning to 1 teaspoon."

List of Ingredients

• ½ cup milk
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp garlic salt
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp poultry seasoning
• One 2½- to 3-pound frying chicken, cut up
• Shortening or butter


Recipe

Combine the milk and egg in a medium bowl. Combine the flour, garlic salt, paprika, pepper, and poultry seasoning in a paper or plastic bag. Add a few pieces at a time and shake to coat. Dip the chicken in the milk-and-egg mixture, then shake a second time in the flour mixture.

To skillet-fry, place enough shortening in the skillet to come ½ to 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Heat the shortening to 365°F in an electric skillet or over medium-high heat in a large heavy skillet. Brown the chicken on all sides, then reduce the heat to 275°F or medium-low heat and continue cooking until the chicken is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes, turning the chicken several times. Drain on paper towels.

To deep-fry, heat 2 or 3 inches of the shortening to 365°F in a deep fryer or deep saucepan. Fry the chicken for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the meat near the bone is no longer pink. Drain on paper towels.

Serves 4