A Taste for Chicken

I’d hear a rustle in the kitchen, maybe the opening of a cabinet or two, followed by a wail from a teenaged soul standing in front of our open refrigerator, “I’m starving and there’s nothing to eat in this house!” Now firstly, no one in my house was ever 'starving.' And secondly, my refrigerator is always full and my larder well-stocked. But, I understood how they felt. Sometimes you just have a taste for something...

Another cry I often heard was, “What’s for dinner?” I imagine they were waiting, hoping to hear me name a dish they were craving. They weren't hesitant to offer their opinions. "Ugh!" or maybe "Yay, my favorite!" Now I don’t hear those phrases too often. Now, we are empty-nesters.

Empty-nesters... that phrase brings a picture to my mind of the parent birds who bring their fledglings to our feeders in the summer. It’s a funny sight, since many of the  young birds are as big or bigger than their parents. I ponder if this ritual, of taking the fledglings to visit possible food sources, is the last step before the family vacates the nest (sigh)... but, back to my line of thought: deciding what to make for dinner.

I used to shop any number of city grocery or produce stores, all within my regular work-to-home commute. I’d hit the stores 4-5 times a week, able to buy and base my meals on whatever was on sale or in season. Now, with the closest grocery store ten miles away (and having only meager provisions) and the better stores 20+ miles away, and the very best grocery shopping being 45 miles away, and I, with a firm determination to only grocery shop once per week, it takes some careful planning to determine “What’s for dinner?”

My husband is not a fussy eater and would be happy with a casserole made of leftovers. No, my kitchen angst comes from within me. I spend a lot of time reading recipes, food blogs and cooking websites. Often it a matter of whatever I’m craving at the moment. Or, maybe choosing a dish we haven’t had in a while. Like German Sauerbraten with Spaetzle, I’ve been thinking about that dish a lot lately.

Recently I was walking through a grocery store with a perplexed look on my face as I scanned the shelves. A stockperson asked if he could help me find anything. “Yes please. Just where do you keep your inspiration?” He hesitated for just the slightest moment, laughed and said, “Sorry, we’re fresh out.”

I have a system that makes meal planning somewhat easier. It goes like this: Mexican Friday, Pasta Saturday, Homemade Pizza & Salad Sunday, Homemade Bread and Soup Monday, Vegetarian Tuesday, and Leftovers Thursday. That leaves only one day to scratch my head in decision of what to make. I ask my husband if he has a taste for anything. Surprisingly, he immediately pipes up, “Yes, I’d love some fried chicken.” He pauses and adds, “And mashed potatoes and gravy, and a side of coleslaw, the creamy kind made with mayonnaise.” Typically, I’d only make fried chicken once a year, okay, maybe twice.

Now I’m almost sure this desire on his part is a result of two things, 1) he also missed the fried chicken that was absent from our monthly potluck, and 2) the meal he described is exactly what our clubhouse’s former chef used to make for his Thursday night special.

We had to go into town anyway to pick something up, so I grabbed a whole chicken from the store. They sell chickens raised by local farmers and they’re delicious birds. I chose the “Roger Ford Family” chicken, bypassing the “Seth Atwood Family” and the “Schmidt Family” chickens. The store actually handwrites the name of the family on the packaging of each chicken. I’ve chosen different farms and never had a bad one.

I was only recently able to put chicken back on the menu, after an episode this past summer involving a sealed bag of chicken left in our car for two days in the blistering heat that rendered neither of us able to even think about eating chicken for a solid six months. But time heals wounds, or at least covers them with enough scar tissue that the event can eventually be blurred enough to be recalled without wincing.

So, if I haven’t repulsed you with my summer chicken tale, I present my recipe for the best fried chicken ever. It has three cooking ‘secrets’ that put this recipe over the top.

Rae’s Best Fried Chicken

Prep: 1 1/2 hours Cook: 20 minutes
  Yield: 4 Servings

dry coating ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup corn starch (secret # 1)

1 teaspoon paprika

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice (secret #2-seriously, don’t skip this step!)

pinch of garlic salt

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

batter ingredients

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 egg

pinch of dried thyme, crushed 

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut up

Oil for deep-frying

Mix the first eight dry ingredients (flour through black pepper) together and put them in a gallon-size ziplock bag. Set aside.

Mix the batter ingredients together, buttermilk, egg and thyme in a shallow bowl.

Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and coat lightly with the flour mixture. Place the lightly flour-coated chicken pieces in the shallow bowl with the buttermilk mixture and coat them well on all sides.

Take the wet battered chicken and dredge once again in the dry flour mixture, coating the chicken well. They should be completely covered in the flour mixture. Place the coated chicken on a plate or platter and let them sit for one hour to dry, in a cool location (secret #3 - letting the coating dry well is key to crispy chicken).

When ready to cook, heat oil to 375°. Fry chicken, a few pieces at a time, for 9-10 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear and the chicken is nicely browned. Take care not to crowd the chicken in the pan. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

Be patient, let it dry!

For an added bonus, I made my husband's fave, dressing (or 'stuffing'), made from

leftover bread I'd stuck in the freezer.

Note: I purchased a whole chicken and cut it up myself. I used the breasts and legs for the fried chicken, (because it’s just the two of us now.) And at that it will likely serve us for two meals. I froze the rest of the chicken, the wings, thighs and back and will use them to make a soup later this week.

Other note: I'm off now to shop at one of my 20+ miles-away grocery stores. It's located in Iowa and is more like 30+ miles-away, but it's a pretty drive and we'll fill the gas tank for the car, as gasoline is cheaper and less heavily taxed in IA (30 cents less per gallon today).