I love Southern-style fried chicken. You’ll have no trouble getting people to the table with this one. It puts the Colonel to shame. When you put the chicken pieces in the bag, it’s your basic “shake and bake” technique- but you don’t bake. You brown the chicken in very hot oil, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to steam the chicken; this keeps the meat moist while producing a crisp coating. I serve my chicken with mashed potatoes and country greens.
1 frying chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut into serving pieces
Marinade
1 quart buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Chesapeake seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
3 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into half
juice of 1 lemon
Coating
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Chesapeake seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon powdered thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
vegetable oil for frying
Cream Gravy (recipe follows),for accompaniment
Place the chicken pieces in a shallow dish. To prepare the marinade, pour the buttermilk in a bowl and add the Chesapeake seasoning, cracked black pepper, Tabasco, garlic and lemon juice. Mix well and pour the mixture over the chicken to cover. Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.
For the coating, put the flour in a bowl and add the salt, Chesapeake seasoning, ground black pepper, sage, thyme and cayenne. Mix together and transfer to a strong paper bag or large, heavy-duty plastic bag. When ready to fry, remove the chicken from the buttermilk and wipe off the excess. Place the chicken in the bag of seasoned flour and shake to coat well.
Pour the vegetable oil into a large cast-iron skillet to the depth of about 1 1/2 inches. Heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the chicken and brown on both sides, turning frequently. Do not crowd the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cover the skillet. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, for about 25 minutes. Reserve the cooking fat. Serve with Cream Gravy on the side. Serves 4.
Cream Gravy (makes about 2 cups)
reserved cooking fat
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the cooking fat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk. Stir constantly until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
