While my dad was not atypical for his generation (meaning he thought women should be in the kitchen) he did cook a few things. He made steaks and baked potatoes on the grill and he made fried chicken. He was not a big fan of chicken, but did like it fried. He also used to gripe that when my mom made the chicken she’d leave the stove and the chicken wouldn’t be done correctly. His philosophy was that you had to stand there, a slave to the chicken, to make it perfect. It was pretty darn good, I’ve gotta say.
We don’t make this recipe very often, however. Dean and Andrew don’t much like chicken and Clare is a vegetarian. Plus, the hot oil always burns my hand. Still, I wanted to include it since we have made it and enjoyed it in the past.
Here’s his recipe.
1 broiler-fryer, cut up and patted dry
1/2 c. Flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 t. paprika
Crisco
Mix flour and seasonings. Dip chicken into flour mixture. Heat Crisco in a heavy iron skillet (spider). The oil should sizzle when a bit of flour is dropped into it. Place chicken pieces into heated oil and fry over medium heat. Cook, covered, for about 40 minutes, turning occassionally.
