Nothing says “Summer Picnic” better than fried chicken and coleslaw. I recently had a friend who told me she learned how to make “the best fried chicken ever!” She told me the step by step instructions. I guess the thought stayed in my mind because I have had the urge to make fried chicken ever since.
I am more of an ‘exotic food’ kind of girl, but sometimes the classics are just that, classic. So one afternoon I decided to fry up a batch of fried chicken for some friends. It was a hot day in August but I still made the classic accompaniments of mashed potatoes and gravy along with some Festive Pineapple Sesame Coleslaw. Since we are here in Italy our guests brought some beautiful buffalo mozzarella, green dolce olives and fresh figs. It was a delicious spread and everyone loved the fried chicken.
This fried chicken is flavored nicely thanks to a dry rub of spices that marinates the chicken as long as you have time to do so. Mine was just for 30 minutes but the effect was flavorful and tender.
Southern Fried Chicken
1 whole chicken cut up into pieces
Seasonings:
1 Tablespoon chili powder or paprika
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
Batter:
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
Oil for frying
Instructions
Rinse chicken and pat dry. Mix spices together in small bowl. Use half of the dry spice mixture to season the chicken. Coat chicken completely with spices.
Prepare two bowls, in one bowl crack two eggs, beat with a fork then add the milk and stir. In the other bowl add the flour and the remaining dry spices and stir together.
Pour oil into large skillet about an inch and a half deep and turn up the heat. Dip the seasoned chicken pieces first in the milk egg mixture until completely wet then dredge in the flour until completely coated. Fry on one side until brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium to allow the chicken to cook slowly but still get brown and crispy. Turn and cook the other side another 10 minutes or until the right shade of brown. To test for doneness pierce the meat with a knife, if the liquid comes out clear, it is done, if it comes out red, cook it for longer. I keep my fried chicken in a warm oven until I am ready to serve it.
Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy and cool pineapple coleslaw.
Mashed potatoes: peal and dice potatoes and place in boiling salted water until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the water and add a couple tablespoons butter and a little milk and mash with a potato masher or blend with a mixer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Gravy: Use the leftover oil from frying the chicken. Reserve all but 3 tablespoons of oil in a cup. Using the same skillet, heat the three tablespoons of oil, add three tablespoons of flour and whisk over heat. Add water whisking as you add allowing it to bubble. Add chicken bullion, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder to taste. Bring it to the thickness you desire.
For more great dinner recipes try one from our Archives:
Babaganush (Middle Eastern Roasted Eggplant Dip) Published July 29, 2017
Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce (Published August 18, 2017)
Saltimbocca (Roman Style Veal Scallopini) (Published February 18, 2018)
Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Salad (Bun Bo Xoa) Published March 12, 2018)
Spiced Chickpea Salad with Roasted Cauliflower (Published April 22, 2018)
Steamed Mussels and Fettuccine (Cozze e Fettuccine) Published May 4, 2019)
Shrimp Risotto (Risotto alla Gamberi) Published June 2, 2018)
Pasta Carbonara (Published May 12, 2018)
Arancini (Italian Fried Rice Balls) Published June 4, 2018)
Ossobuco alla Milanese (Milan Style Veal Shanks & Saffron Risotto) Published June 20, 2018)
Lasagna Bolognese (Published Aug 3, 2018)
Kung Pao Chicken (Published August 23, 2018)
Eggplant Parmesan (Published August 29, 2018)
Gyoza (Potstickers or Chinese Dumplings) Published August 27,2018)
Cacio e Pepe (Published August 28, 2018)
