Pan Fried Chicken

Now that I've fried chicken, I feel like I've earned a southern cooking badge. Never in my life have I made fried chicken.

I probably would have never made it if my husband hadn't asked me many times to make it. We've been married for 1 year and 3 months now and I finally made it for him. Ever since we got married he has asked me a few times to make it but I always said no, it's unhealthy, or no, I don't know how to make it. Both reasons are true but, Sunday I felt ready to make it. Before now, I don't think my culinary skills would have been prepared to make good fried chicken. Now I know my way around the kitchen better than I did when we got married and I started cooking almost everyday.

Like any good chef I looked up how to fry chicken online. Alton Brown and Paula Dean had great tutorials. As I fried my chicken, I kept thinking of Minnie Jackson from "The Help" frying chicken during the movie and teaching Celia how to fry chicken saying, "Minnie don't burn fried chicken."

I fried up a few chicken strips and 5 chicken legs. Check out all the legs we got a Costco! Geeze that is 30 chicken legs! For $8! Crazy!

What I learned about frying chicken is, it's messy, you should only flip the chicken once, the smell will make you much hungrier than you were when you started frying it because it smells so good, and my husband was so happy- his faith in my cooking abilities is soaring right now.

I also learned that you need to put your seasoning right on the chicken not is the batter because the seasoning will burn and you waste alot of seasoning that way. To season the chicken I liberally sprinkled Paprika, salt, pepper, and onion powder on both sides. Then I dipped the chicken in three scrambled eggs. When it was completely coated in egg, I rolled it in all purpose flour then shook off the excess.

Next I layed all the pieces in my frying pan that had hot canola oil halfway up the pan. The oil is suppose to be 350 degrees. I let the chicken fry for about 7 minutes then flipped it. I let it fry for about 7 more minutes then laid it out on a metal rack to drain. Moving the chicken from hot oil to the rack immediately is what allows it to get crispy.

Now that I've fried chicken I feel kind of proud. I feel like a true southern woman that knows how to make one of those meals that everybody loves. Also, ladies if you love your man, fry him some chicken. He will love you for it and tell all his co-workers that his wife made him fried chicken!