Southern Fried Chicken!!!

Is there any American dish more unique and special than this? It was an old favorite in Southern households way before Harlan Sanders and the rest of the fast-food industry seized upon it. And I have to admit that I used to absolutely love Kentucky Fried Chicken (they switched to just calling it "KFC" a while ago to avoid the unpopularity and other negative implications of the word fried)! Here's a very special recipe I came across ages ago for Southern-fried chicken that, by using the optional ingredients, mimics the way Colonel Sanders' famous chicken originally used to taste, way back before he passed away and the fried chicken served by his national chain of eateries became a sorry, pitiful shadow of what it was when he was still alive and dropping in unexpectedly on individual restaurant owners for surprise inspections.

Ingredients:

Chicken parts of your choice - drumsticks/legs, thighs and wings work best (about ½ lb. / 252 grams of chicken per serving is generally considered appropriate)

Peanut oil for deep frying (about ¾ of a gallon / 2.84 liters)

SEASONED FLOUR:

1½ cup (340.2 g) flour
2 tsp. (9.54 g) garlic powder
2 tsp. (9.54 g) salt
1 tsp. (4.77 g) poultry seasoning
1½ tsp. (7.16 g) ground, black pepper

CRISPY BATTER:

2/3 cup (151.2 g) flour

½ tsp. (2.39 g) salt

1/8 tsp. (.6 g) ground, black pepper

1 Tbs. (14.15 g) cayenne (red-hot) pepper (optional)

1 envelope "Cup-O-Soup" brand powdered tomato soup mix - may substitute an envelope of Knorr brand powdered tomato soup mix, or any powdered cream soup mix with 1 Tbs. / 14.15 grams paprika added (optional)

2 envelopes "Good Seasons" brand powdered Italian dressing mix for that secret "KFC" touch (optional)

2 eggs, beaten (I use "Egg Beaters" fat-free)

1 quart (946 ml) buttermilk (I use low-fat)

1 cup (237 ml) water (use only ½ cup / 118.5 ml water for extra-crispy coating)

Preparation:

Combine ingredients for seasoned flour in a medium-sized bowl; set aside.

In a small bowl, combine all dry ingredients for the crispy batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and butter milk; gradually add the dry ingredients to it. This batter must not be too thick! If you're using the quantities above, it will turn out just right. If you cut the amount of ingredients to suit the amount of batter that you need for fewer servings (see my "Tip" below), make sure the consistency of the batter is quite thin - add water, if necessary, to make it thin and runny.

Heat oil to 310ºF (154.44° C) in a large, deep saucepan or deep-fryer to a depth of about 2 inches (5 cm). Rinse off the chicken pieces and allow to warm to room temperature. Dip chicken in the seasoned flour, then batter (let it drip off really well), then back into the seasoned flour. Don't let the chicken sit for too long after you've coated it. Lay chicken loosely in the oil, and don't crowd it. Do the larger pieces first. Turn the chicken only once or twice while it cooks. Do not stir; let the oil do the work. Keep a close eye on the oil temperature. If it drops below 260° F. (126.67° C), turn the heat up. But the temperature should never exceed 320° F (160° C).

The oil will start to slow down and the chicken pieces will float to the top. This means that it's almost done cooking! Using tongs, pull out the chicken piece by piece. Test it for firmness. If the chicken gives a lot, put it back for a couple more minutes. If it doesn't give at all, it's done! Wings will take about 5 - 6 minutes; legs, breasts and thighs around 10 - 15 minutes. Drain on a couple slices of bread or paper towels and allow to stand about five minutes before serving.

Seal tightly in aluminum foil to refrigerate. Allow the chicken to warm to room temperature before re-heating in 350º F. (176.67° C) oven for about 10 minutes.

Notes:

The powdered, Italian salad dressing mix purportedly contains all the secret herbs and spices that made Colonel Sanders' "Kentucky Fried Chicken" recipe so tasty and famous!

Always make sure you wash your hands well with hot, soapy water after handling raw chicken! Also, insure that all utensils and the preparation surfaces are cleaned thoroughly, preferably with a water-bleach solution. Raw chicken can be loaded with pathogens that can make you really sick if ingested, so play it safe and don't be sorry afterwards.

Though it's still very fattening to fry food, you are actually doing your heart some good by frying in the peanut oil which is a cholesterol-lowering fat. Remember, moderation is the key word to enjoying things like Southern-fried chicken. So some of this once in a blue moon won't hurt you one bit!

Tip:

Any unused batter may be safely stored frozen and thawed for later use. The amount of the batter mixture that results from using the above measurements makes enough to fry five, 4 - 6 piece meals. I use about a fifth of the batter immediately to fry four to six pieces, and I freeze the rest in a large, plastic freezer-safe container. Later (after it's frozen solid), I thaw the outside of the container with warm water so I can remove the frozen block of batter. It's easy enough to cut into quarter-sections and freeze each section individually in large, freezer "zip-lock" bags. That way, I have batter ready to thaw for frying up a tasty Southern-fried chicken dinner another four times before I need to make another batch of batter.