Crispy Fried Chicken

Always a family favorite

Optional: Skin the chicken

flour

salt and pepper

shortening

1. Prepare several hours ahead, or even the night before.   As you clean the chicken pieces, lay them one layer deep in a pan or plate.   Keep the plate tilted by putting an object under one end to allow the excess water to drain to one end.  Using paper towels, soak up the excess water, but do not pat dry the chicken.  In a large Tupperware bowl with a lid, put enough flour to coat the chicken pieces and to cover the pieces once coated.   Add salt and pepper to taste.   Salt and pepper the chicken pieces, too, and then toss each piece in the flour.   Repeat cleaning, draining water, and coating chicken until all the chicken has been floured.   Cover, shake, and then refrigerate.

1. After about 3 hours or after overnight, remove chicken from refrigerator.  The pieces will be stuck together.Separate them and thoroughly re-coat each piece. You may have to remove the pieces to a pan during this process.  If needed, make another mixture of flour, salt and pepper and add to the bowl.  At this point, the chicken can be fried, or cover, shake, and refrigerate again for another 3 hours.  Then re-coat again before frying.

1. May be fried in a large, deep chicken fryer with at least 1 1/2″ heated shortening, or in an electric deep-fry pan.  My family likes the chicken best when I prepare it the night before, re-coat it the next morning, and then again just prior to deep-frying – which is about 12 hours between re-coating.  When preparing a lot of chicken for a lot of people, I use the deep-fry method and cook each batch for 17 minutes, then put it in a slow oven to keep warm until ready to serve.