Annie Mae Jones' Old-Fashioned Fried Chicken Recipe

Recipe Ingredients

2 chickens,small*
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mustard,dry
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cup lard

CHICKEN GRAVY

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup light cream
1 salt
1 pepper

* - cut each into 8 pieces, backbone removed (save liver and gizzard
for another use).

1. Wash each piece of chicken under cold running water. Pat dry with
paper toweling.

2. Place flour, salt, mustard, and pepper in a large paper bag. Twist
closed and shake to blend ingredients. Drop the chicken pieces into
the bag a few at a time and shake the bag vigorously until each piece
is thoroughly coated. Remove the chicken pieces from the bag and
shake off excess flour - there will be plenty of it. Then lay them
side by side on waxed paper and place them near the stove so that you
can get to them easily when you start frying.

3. Preheat oven to warm and in it place a large baking dish lined with
paper toweling.

4. Heat the lard in a heavy 10-12" skillet. The fat should fill the
pan to a depth of about 2 inches. Add more lard if necessary.

5. Place over moderate heat and when the fat is hot but not smoking,
begin frying chicken. Put in the thigh and legs first and cover the
pan at once. Let the chicken fry over moderate heat, lifting the
cover occasionally to check the process, and when deep brown turn -
with a wooden spoon, so you don't pierce the skin. Cover and brown
the other side. As each piece is cooked, remove it, place it in the
warm oven, and put an uncooked piece in its place.

6. Cook all of the chicken in the same way. Just remember that the
white meat will take a little less time to cook than the dark pieces.

7. Leave the chicken in the oven while preparing the gravy.

*** CHICKEN GRAVY ***

1. Pour the frying fat from the pan, replace it with the butter,
melt, then stir in the flour. When bubbly, stir in the stock and
cream, and cook until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Serve the sauce separately to spoon over the chicken pieces at the
table.

Servings: 8

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