Mom's Southern Cooking - Iron Skillet Fried Chicken

Easter Sunday in our house has always been a low key event. When I was younger, we would dress up for church, come home to change, and then relax. Or at least that's the way I remember it. Years later, we stopped attending church, kept to a very relaxed wardrobe, and spent the day enjoying family. This past Sunday was no different.

Our Sunday meal, which is always dinner, doesn't vary either. We serve up a traditional Southern cuisine and we don't spare a single calorie! And, since I am all about learning to cook the foods my mother's have cooked, I took on the task of whipping up mashed potatoes and iron skillet fried chicken. (When my mom makes friend chicken today, we go the healthier route by "frying" it in the oven. So let's take a walk on the calorie laden wild side and fry up some chicken!

Here is what you'll need: Chicken (we used chicken thighs, legs, and breast), Flour, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Salt, Black Pepper, a paper bag, and Crisco.

Add several heaping spoonfuls of flour, several shakes of Paprika, a shake of Cayenne Pepper and Garlic Powder, two pinches of salt, and several pinches of black pepper. No real measurements here! This is how my great-grandmother cooked!

 

That's three tablespoons of Crisco. You add more per batch.

 

Add your chicken to the flour mixture and shake to cover. Place your fattier pieces, like thighs and legs, in the bag first.

That's me shaking the chicken!

  

Place your Crisco in the pan and let it get really hot!

 

  

Add your chicken in batches. Again, fry the fattier pieces first.

Turn over as the sides become golden brown. Turn several times, and once all sides are fried, place the lid over the skillet and continue to cook. When I asked my mom how long to cook the chicken, she said "I don't know. I just cook the chicken." If you want to know it's done, make sure the juices run clear and your thermometer reads 165.

This is a traditional Southern spread! Fried chicken, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, green beans, jello salad, rolls (seen below) and gravy. All recipes are handed down from both sides of the family. My great grandmother's fried chicken and mashed potatoes (although I'm sure everyone makes them the same), my cousin Judy's jello salad which is amazing, my mom's own delived eggs, and my mom's cooked green beans with bacon.

 

And our sweet table was set in all the colors of Easter; pink, blue, and yellow! This was also complete with my great grandmother's (on my dad's side) darling blue glasses.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!!