Mama's Cooking Fried Chicken

Well, hey there! You may not know me but my name is Mama and I've been cooking fried chicken since before most of ya were a twinkle in your daddies' eye. Cookin' is what I love to do and the folks around me ain't complainin'. So, if you want to learn how to cook up some of the best fried chicken that you ever put your lips around, you've come to the right place.

Here's Mama's Best Fried Chicken Recipe

1 Whole Fryer, cut-up

2 cups of buttermilk

1 egg

2 tablespoons Texas Pete Hot Sauce (this will not add heat to the chicken, only flavor, the heat will cook out)

1 cup of self-rising flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 quart size ziploc freezer bag

Peanut Oil for fying

Put the chicken in a glass baking dish with the buttermilk, turning to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.

Heat peanut oil to 350 degrees F.

* If using an electric deep fryer, follow the manufacturers' directions.

* If using a dutch oven when cooking fried chicken, fill it about 2/3 full of peanut oil.

* If pan-frying, you'll need a cast iron skillet (recommended) with an inch of oil.

In a pie plate, mix together the egg and hot sauce, set aside.

In plastic ziplock bag, combine flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and paprika.

Place chicken in colander to drain off buttermilk. Allow to sit for about 15-20 to warm up to room temperaure.

Roll the chicken around in egg mixture starting with the dark meat first. Shake off the excess egg and drop into the ziplock bag with the flour mixture and shake ( no more than 2-3 pieces at a time) to coat well. Allow to sit on plate for a few minutes so that the flour can stick to the chicken.

Slowly drop the chicken into the oil starting with the dark meat. Don't get in too big of a hurry or you'll lower the temperature of the oil too quick and your chicken will soak up the oil and be greasy (not a good thing). If pan-frying, you will need to turn the chicken a couple of times so it will brown evenly. Cook until it's a nice golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

The times for cooking fried chicken will vary but as a general rule:

(These times are for bone in chicken. Boneless will take only about half the time depending upon the thickness.)

13-14 minutes for dark meat

10-12 minutes for white meat

Mama's not just cooking fried chicken, you'll find a whole lot more recipes and tips on my website, www.mamas-southern-cooking.com

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