Fried Chicken (Joelle)

First of all, I'm sorry this post is so late!! I made it on time (last Friday). But didn't post right away -- Sorry!

Second of all, WHAT A MESS!! This has got to be one of the messiest foods I've ever made. And it was all my fault.

I chose a recipe I felt was pretty "classic", it was Paula Dean's recipe, and I figured if its southern and fried, Paula knows how to do it right, right?

My recipe:
Ingredients
Salt and pepper, for seasoning chicken
1 (2 1/2 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
Peanut oil, for frying
3 eggs
1/3 cup water
2 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Season the chicken pieces well with salt and pepper and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.

Heat peanut oil in a cast iron skillet to 350 degrees F.

Beat eggs and water in a small bowl. In a shallow bowl, season flour with pepper. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then coat well in flour mixture. Carefully add to oil, in batches if necessary, place lid on top of skillet, and fry until brown and crisp. Remember that dark meat requires a longer cooking time (about 13 to 14 minutes, compared to 8 to 10 minutes for white meat.)

Here is a picture of my prep. Like I said before, M-E-S-S-Y!



After I had all the breading done, I heated my oil. I do not have a thermometer so I started my oil at medium heat. Once the oil was hot I added my chicken. It turned brown instantly. I pretty much only had time to snap this picture before I was worried the chicken was going to burn.



I cut the chicken open to see how well it was cooked. The chicken was only in the oil for about a minute before it turned brown so I was sure the meat would still be pretty raw, and sure enough, it was! See...



So I turned the oil down to medium low, tried the second piece and had about the same result!! At this point my plan was to cook the third piece and them put them in the oven to finish cooking. I turned the oil down to low for the third piece and it cooked PERFECTLY! So, I put the first two pieces back in and cooked them until they were cooked through. My directions said this should take about 8-10 minutes since I was cooking white meat, but I cooked them for at least 30 minutes before they were done. In the end, they turned out very well.



I served it with mashed potatoes with southern gravy (my second attempt, it was yummy, but a little thick), corn on the cob and rolls.



My happy taste testers:




Curtis (David's dad), gave it an A! He ate every bite and complimented me on the meal again the next time I saw him! I love that man!!! :)

David said the breading was really good, great flavor and gave it a B+.

I give it a B. It was good, but the next time I make it I will use boneless, skinless chicken tenders. They will probably cook faster and I'm not a big fan of skin-on, bone-in chicken -- but it is what is commonly used with your classic Fried Chicken and its what Paula uses.

The girls did not try it this time, they were already in bed. I'll give them a taste of the chicken tenders next time I try the recipe. Good pick, Lor! This is a food I plan to play with and find my perfect recipe.