Spicy Fried Chicken

Because I am quite poor, quite lazy and quite addicted to fried food, sometimes it is hard for me to gather the energy and materials to really make a meal worth picking up the camera and writing about. However, drumsticks were recently on sale at the local butcher for $.79 a pound, and that means fried chicken for supper!

For about $2.50 I walked out of the butcher shop with six plump, delicious chicken legs. Enough to feed myself and one lucky soul who would adjust the lighting while I attempted to take pictures of my recipe for country style spicy fried chicken.

The ingredients could not be more basic:

chicken parts (whatever you like. I used legs because they were on sale)
1 cup flour
buttermilk
cayenne pepper
pinch or two salt
black pepper
oil for frying *


Rinse the chicken parts and pat dry. If you are more health conscious that I, you might want to remove the skin at this point. Place the chicken parts in a baking dish or bowl and cover them with buttermilk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, three or more is ideal.

When ready to start fryin', drain the chicken from the buttermilk and cover liberally with the black and cayenne peppers. Just sprinkle all over the chicken and don't think about it.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and a pinch of salt. In the meanwhile, fill a large pot or deep frying pan with oil. You don't need a lot, you could feasibly use just enough to cover the chicken. Heat this on medium. I am sure there is a proper temperature that this much reach, but lacking a thermometer, I just let it heat for about 15 minutes.

Now comes the fun part. Take a piece of chicken in one hand and drop it in the flour bowl. With your other hand, toss it in the flour until thoroughly covered and place it on a plate. It helps to dedicate one hand to picking up the chicken and the other for flouring. You will see.

After all the chicken pieces have been floured, take one piece and add to the hot oil. This is your "test piece" and may be submerged in oil that's not that hot yet. Gently place it in the oil and watch it carefully. If the oil is hot enough, the chicken will sink slightly to the bottom and have a rolling boil of bubbles around it:

At this point, carefully add the remaining pieces, ONE AT A TIME, with a few seconds in between each one. This helps prevent them from sticking together. Allow these to cook until the flour turns a golden brown, about 10-20 minutes depending on what sort of chicken part you use. When the chicken is done, it will begin to float in the oil.

Carefully remove the chicken and drain the oil on a plate topped with paper towels or a baking rack. If making more than one batch, you can also place these in a warm oven to keep them crisp while the other batch cooks.

I served this with a nice, inexpensive country cole slaw (cabbage, mayo, cider vinegar and shredded carrot). Amazing!

* This is up for debate. Many southern mothers and cookbooks will stand by their Victorian method of frying the chicken in animal fat, shortening, or a combination of oil and bacon fat. No doubt this all makes for a wonderfully robust frying experience, but if you don't want the lingering scent of animal fat or bacon grease in your kitchen, go with the oil. Not as decadent, but way easier on the heart and lungs.