How to: CindyD's Somewhat Southern Fried Chicken

CindyD's Somewhat Southern Fried Chicken

This is how I fry chicken. This recipe shows the ability of Americans in the 21st century to easily obtain food. I was raised by a woman whose grandparents survived the War Between the States and who had lived through both WWII and the Great Depression. She NEVER used an egg to batter anything -- they couldn't afford it then. She coated her chicken with only seasoned flour. The secret to really good fried chicken is to handle as little in the pan as possible and only turn it once.

Recipes · Meat and Poultry · Chicken · Fried Chicken Recipes

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Servings: 4

Total Time: 45 mins

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Ingredients List

2 eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups vegetable oil for frying, or as needed
4 chicken leg quarters, cut into thighs and drumsticks

Directions

Beat the eggs thoroughly in a shallow bowl. Sift together the flour, sage, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder in a bowl to combine.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Oil should be about 2 inches deep. Dip chicken pieces into the beaten egg, then dredge in the seasoned flour to thoroughly coat.
Fry chicken in the hot oil until golden brown on the first side, about 10 minutes; reduce heat to medium, and fry chicken on second side until golden brown and the meat is no longer pink inside, about 20 more minutes. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Cook's Notes

This recipe yields two pieces of chicken per person for my family of three, plus two pieces of chicken for my husband the next day for lunch at work. Obviously it would be possible to expand the number of servings easily.

I carefully sift the flour after using it for dredging to remove any particles of egg or chicken. I then use it to make milk gravy to go with the chicken and potatoes, or save it for other uses.

Editor's Note

The nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of the seasoned flour; the actual amount consumed will vary. We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount will also vary.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Nutrition Facts