Fried Chicken Fresh from the Farm

We spent our spring break processing all of our chickens and the one thing that David wanted was to have fried chicken!  I definitely love fried food and fried chicken is one of my favorites. The problem was getting from the whole chicken to pieces of chicken and not making it look like a lawnmower ran over it. This is where the journey began  . . . our whole chicken

 After looking at many of my first cookbooks that I received as a new bride, I found one that showed how to cut up a chicken. The chicken was then sprinkled with Paula Deen's House Seasoning---it is so easy to make and it taste so good on everything. It is 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup pepper, and 1/4 cup garlic powder.

 The chicken wasn't soaked prior to seasoning it but you can always soak it in either some cold water or some buttermilk and egg.  Next, heat up your oil for frying.  I like a mixture of vegetable and peanut oil  Before putting it in the grease,  bread your chicken in either a pre-made breader or some flour.  We use  House Autry's chicken breader because it has a good flavor and fries up very crispy. Just be sure to check your grease in between batches to make sure that the grease is the right temperature, which should be at 325 degrees for deep frying and 350 degrees for pan frying.

 After about 7 minutes on each side (depending on the size of the pieces), you can remove and place on paper towels to soak up any excess grease. This is what it looks like-crispy, juicy and delicious.

 As you can see, it didn't take long for David to start trying this great southern staple. I hope you enjoy. If you need any birds to fry then let me know because we have plenty of those delicious birds to sell.