The Perdue Chicken Cookbook

BASIC FRIED CHICKEN Serves 4

This is fried chicken in its simplest form. It's good enough so that the

last time I made it, the grandchildren were making off with pieces almost as

fast as I could cook them. Frank's daughter Anne Oliviero particularly

recommends basic fried chicken served cold the next day for picnics. She and

her family love to explore some of the islands off the coast of Maine, where

they live, and cold fried chicken is just about always on the menu.

/3 cup flour

teaspoon salt or to taste

/4 teaspoon ground pepper or to taste

chicken cut in serving pieces

/2 cup vegetable shortening

In a large plastic bag combine flour with salt and pepper. Shake chicken in

bag with mixture. In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, melt

shortening. Cook chicken uncovered, heat for 20 to 30 minutes on each

side or until cooked through.

OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN, SOUTHWESTERN STYLE

Any basic fried chicken recipe may be adapted for oven frying. It is a

useful technique when cooking larger quantities of chicken and is less messy

than stovetop frying. (Especially if you have a self-cleaning oven.)

Simply follow the basic cooking instructions as given in the Southwestern

version below.

chicken, cut in serving pieces

cup buttermilk

/4 teaspoon Tabasco, optional

Vegetable oil for frying

/2 cup flour

/2 cup corn meal

teaspoon salt

/4 teaspoon chili powder

/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Place chicken in a large bowl. Sprinkle with Tabasco. Pour buttermilk over

all and allow to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 425oF.

Place 1/2 inch of oil in the bottom of a heavy baking pan large enough to

hold chicken without crowding. Place pan in oven to heat for 10 minutes.

In a plastic bag combine remaining ingredients. Shake chicken in seasoned

flour. Remove pieces one at a time and quickly slip into hot oil. Place in

oven and bake for 20 minutes. Turn and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer or

until chicken is cooked through. Drain chicken on crumpled paper towels.

BASIC ROAST CHICKEN Serves 4

Sometimes there is nothing else that will fill the bill like roasted

chicken. Here's the easiest way to do it. You can brush the surface with

melted butter, margarine or oil, but it isn't really necessary.

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