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Fried Chicken


  This is a very quick post about fried chicken and a recipe offering. Summer is for fried chicken, in my opinion… Fourth of July, eating at a local park’s picnic table, and church picnics. I sadly can’t make it to this year’s Prazska Pout in Praha, Texas on August 15th (Praha picnic plate in photo above) and haven’t been able to attend any of the other many picnics that serve fried chicken, so I’ve been lamenting the loss of opportunity to eat one of my favorite summer dishes.

I live in a very small apartment – the smell of whatever I cook becomes my abode’s air freshener for half a day, so I rarely fry foods. So, I suppose I’ve been craving fried chicken, and writing about it helps. So does reading Jay Francis’s blog (The Fried Chicken Blog) which I recommend to anyone interested in the subject. He has fantastic photos and videos about the Praha picnic specifically here, but check out the rest of the blog, too. Clearly Texas Czechs love fried chicken from its appearance on so many church picnic menus.


My own fried chicken from my mother's recipe

Any meat eater that’s been to the Czech Republic knows fried chicken is common in restaurants there, but from visiting I remember a chicken breast flattened into a cutlet that was breaded and fried, rather than pieces of the whole bird, bones and all. It is, in fact, my mother’s favorite dish when visiting the CR. Even so, my mother is a master at classic Southern fried chicken. Texas is in the South, right? Below is her recipe and photos of her process. I have indeed fried chicken from this recipe and can vouch for its usability. Looking forward to next summer’s fried chicken opportunities…




Betty’s Fried Chicken

1) Trim the fat from a chicken and cut up into smaller pieces. Rinse the pieces and pat them dry. Season each with salt and set aside. (My grandmother did not skin the chicken; my mother does. Do what you like.)



2) Fill a bowl big enough to hold the largest piece of chicken halfway with milk. Fill another of the same with flour to which you’ve added more salt and pepper.

3) Fill a skillet to a depth of 1” with canola oil and start heating the oil to medium high.



4) Dredge each piece of chicken in the seasoned flour, then the milk, then the flour a second time. Put on a plate until ready to fry.


5. Put the pieces in the hot oil. Fry one side for roughly 10 minutes until very golden brown, Turn over until very golden brown on the other side. (White meat doesn’t take as long as dark meat. Fry the dark pieces together in one batch and the white pieces together in a second batch.)

6. Drain on brown paper bags or paper towels. Keep the first batch warm while frying the second batch.



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