Fried Chicken

Not too difficult to make, but you have to be careful or you can get really nasty burns from the hot fat. Whenever cooking with hot fat, especially with new recipes, use an oven mitt when possible and keep your face away from the pan. I can post pictures of my many burns if you don't believe me :). Cut up a chicken into serving pieces, or use already cut up chicken. I made 3 big leg quarters tonight, so if you make more you might need a bit more flour, but probably the same amount of fat- you'll just have to do this in more batches. For really really tasty chicken, I'd recommend marnating in buttermilk overnight, but I'm out. Fried chicken is damned good even without it. In a large shallow bowl or container, mix: about 2 cups of flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper a dash of ground red pepper (more if everyone you're serving likes spicy stuff) Dredge the chicken in the flour and let sit on a rack over a baking sheet to dry a bit (this is particularly important if you've marinated the chicken in buttermilk. It helps the coating stick a bit better) In a large cast iron skillet or "chicken fryer" that has a lid, melt about 2-3 cups of vegetable shortening (you can use any oil for this that has a high smoke point. Shortening is just hella cheap). Heat the fat over medium-high heat, until it's about 350 F on a fat/candy thermometer. My candy thermometer broke long ago, and I get good results by just making sure that the fat gets violently bubbly when I test with a small piece of coated chicken. A few minutes of heating should do you good. When the fat is hot enough, place as many pieces as will fit in the pan with some space around each of them, skin side down. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes- but check about halfway through that time, to make sure the chicken is not browning too quickly. If it is, turn down the heat a bit. When the skin side is all nice and mahogany-colored, uncover the pan and turn the chicken over, cooking uncovered for another 5-10 minutes. If the chicken is browned to the point of almost burning and is still pink/registers less than 165 F on an instant read thermomenter, you can finish cooking it in the oven. 10 minutes or so at 300 is probably about right, but check on it often. Burned fried chicken doesnt do anyone any good :) Drain on paper towels or a wire rack and serve immediately.