| FRIED CHICKEN Use one or two fat frying chickens Cut meat into individual portions - see note below. Shake the meat in a plastic or paper bag containing about ¼ cup flour in order to coat each piece then place individual portions close together in a large heavy pan or skillet heated with two or three tablespoons of vegetable oil. Generously and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon ground sage. Brown chicken on all sides, turning over each individual portion, making sure to salt and pepper each side. Cover and let steam for about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook until steam is gone and skin has browned and become slightly crispy. The meat as it cooks will pull easily away from the bones. There should not be any pink or blood left in any of the chicken parts. Make a gravy using the drippings by boiling the chicken juice until all the water disappears then soaking off any oil or chicken fat with a paper towel. Add one quart of cold water to the drippings and ¼ cup flour. Stir until all the lumps have disappeared. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until gravy has thickened - about 3 minutes. Taste the gravy then add salt and pepper or bullion if desired. HOW TO CUT UP A CHICKEN: Wash the chicken under cold water and remove any pin feathers, or paper packets containing the neck, liver or giblets. Lay the chicken on it’s back on a cutting board. Begin at the thigh and push the leg area outward until the joint section pops at the top of the thigh and you can see the joint bone. Slice between the joint of the thigh and the back portion to remove the leg and thigh portion of the chicken. Repeat this process with the other side. Bend the thigh and leg to discover where the joint is and slice through the cartilage that connects the thigh bone to the leg bone. Repeat this process with the other leg and thigh. Slice through the cartilage that connects each wing to the breast. Placing the chicken on the cutting board on its breast, carefully bend the back section back until the bones pop then remove the lower back section from the upper back section. There is a line of cartilage through the rib cage that is a natural dividing point to separate the upper back from the breast section. Slice through this cartilage and bend the back section away from the breast section until the bones snap and it can be separated easily with the knife. Now the only portion you have left is the large breast section. You can divide the breast into either two or four portions. I prefer four. I cleave it in half cross wise and then again length wise as the bones are soft and easy to cut through. This makes the chicken parts more evenly proportioned for equal frying time. I save the upper and lower back portions along with the giblets and neck to boil and use for soup or gravy stock. The rest of the chicken parts I keep for frying. |
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