Southern Fried Chicken

Cookbook Recipe #62 

I feel like this blog helps me to make things that I have always said I would make one day. Homemade fried chicken is one of those things. I see so many recipes for real fried chicken and I always think I shouldn't make that cause

we are trying to eat better or that it looks sooo messy. I decided to through all those thoughts out the window and go for it. I thought this cookbook would have the perfect recipe to because it is a cast iron cookbook. Whenever you see people cooking fried chicken it is always in some 100 year old cast iron skillet. My cast iron skillet is not a 100 years old but it does this trick. I have to start seasoning it. Let me tell you this was a great recipe to season it!

The chicken came out good, not as good as I was hoping. I missed the step of seasoning the buttermilk in the recipe (I included that step in the bottom). I make oven fried chicken a lot and I never season the buttermilk so I didn't really look at that part of the recipe very well when I was doing it. That is one thing I still really need to learn. I need to read the entire recipe a day before I am going to make it. This was not messy at all to make. I was quite surprised. And very easy. Next time though I think I am going to try to brine the chicken instead of soaking in buttermilk. I think that will bring out the seasoning even more.

Southern Fried Chicken
Adapted from Cast Iron Cookbook by Joanna Pruess

1 whole chicken cut up into 8 pieces
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons Tabasco
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried tarragon, thyme, and garlic powder
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon salt,
Pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

In a large resealable plastic bag combine chicken, buttermilk, Tabasco, salt, garlic powder, tarragon and thyme. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours. Turning the bag occasionally.

Turn oven on the 200 degrees. Put a wire rack on a baking sheet. Set aside.

Combine the flour, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper in a large shallow dish.

Drain chicken in a colander.

In a large cast iron skillet fill with oil about 1/2 inch deep and heat until hot. When a little flour sprinkled in the oil foams, the the oil hot enough.

Toss chicken pieces in the seasoned flour, patting to remove excess. Gradually add to skillet, do not crown the pan. Add dark pieces first. Cook until golden brown about 10 minutes and then turn and cook other side until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken pieces baking sheet and put in oven while finishing the rest of the chicken.