CAROLINA FRIED CHICKEN

I made this chicken last night. Regular old fashioned fried chicken with a buttermilk dunk filled with spices and hot sauce. yumo! Not that it was hot just a tasty full flavor. The best thing was the crispy crust as it was double dredged. Recipe follows.

Carolina Fried Chicken
1 cut up fryer
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg beaten
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
kosher salt to taste
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
flour for dredging
canola oil for frying

In a flat bottom bowl mix buttermilk, eggs, salt, paprika, hot sauce and pepper. Whisk in baking powder and baking soda. Put flour in a bowl and working with a few pieces at a time dredge the chicken in the flour tapping off the excess. Dip the pieces into the buttermilk mixture letting the excess drip off then dredge back into the flour. Set aside on a wire rack with a paper towel under till all pieces are coated.
Heat the oil in a large deep skillet until shimmering. Add the chicken in a single layer without crowding in the skillet. Cover for the first five minutes. Uncover and cook turning occasionally until a deep golden brown and cooked through about twenty minutes but best to use a instant read thermometer, the temp should read 160 near the bone.
If the chicken is browning to fast reduce the heat if it seems to retain grease increase the heat. My best tip for this recipe is do not burn the chicken. Sometimes that will happen when the first pieces go in so make sure your grease is just right.
* Now if you want to finish the chicken in the oven I see no reason you could not do this. Just evenly brown your chicken to golden then drain on a paper towel, then set the pieces on parchment paper on a baking sheet and finish in the oven on 400 for about twenty-five minutes or until the thermometer reads 160.
Drain on paper towels and serve.
The baking soda and powder make the crispy crust very light and the chicken inside is moist. A good recipe.

We are going to have leftovers this evening. I will reheat the chicken in a hot oven and hopefully it will retrain some of the crunch without drying it out. I made a good size batch of mashed potatoes and made pan gravy last night from the pan drippings. I was a happy girl dipping my pieces of chicken breast into that creamy chicken gravy.

It has been rainy here the past couple of days. Hubby is going to get the moss control and fertilizer on the lawn today. A good time to do it is when it is raining.
The weather this weekend is going to turn colder and we could have snow on the valley floor here Sunday and Monday. I surely hope not, it is no treat for me.

We had a yard full of crows yesterday. I looked out and the faded green grass of winter was just littered with black bodies. I ran for my camera but they saw me at the window and away they flew flapping like black capes.

Tomorrow I am going to post to a photo or two of the newest addition to our family. Little Audrey Christine, Diana's little newborn. She looks so beautiful for a newborn. Perfect little head and pretty skin. Mommy and Daddy must be so very proud.

Fry up some chicken you will not be disappointed.