I grew up in a small town in central Mississippi in the 60's and 70's and I came from a family that was "food rich" and "cash poor". We may of not had a lot of cash, but we always had plenty to eat.
My grandparents were farmers and they were very good at it. They grew all kinds of fruits and vegetables and would canthem for the winter ahead after they sold what they could. We also ate fresh fish and fresh meats of the wild and domestic kind. But what I remember more vividly than anything else is, that fried chicken. That was the best fried chicken I'd ever eaten 'til this day. We'd just go look out in the yard, like people look through the supermarketaisles, see a young bird of about 3-5 pounds, and proclaim that to be the entree' of the day.
After processing the fresh fowl, my grandmother would let it soak in some (butter) milk for a few hours or overnight in the icebox, if company was coming over.
She would then put a dash of poultry seasoning, cayenne pepper,black pepper, salt and either some garlic powder or some grated fresh garlic in the soakand that was it. Now this is where I had to really watch. She would take an egg and after draining the chicken, she would use the milk she had soaked it in,beat the egg in it and add a little baking soda and flour until it was the consistency of a thin pancake batter...just enough for it to stick to the chicken.
She would then dip it in a little seasoned flour, using the same ingredients she used for the batter and shake it off. She used on of those cast iron chicken fryers and let some Crisco shortening get around 325 degrees. Then she would cover the skillet as the chicken would slowly brown to a honey colored hue and turn it over so the other side would brown lightly. Now , after letting that chicken cook for about 10 minutes at that temperature, she would take off the lid and turn the heat upever so gently until it got around 350-360 degrees and let it cook, turning only once more each until then juices were running clear. When she took that chickenout and laid them on a paper bag to drain, all I could do was wait patiently for those few moments(which seemed like an eternity) for her to set the table with all the side dishes and pull that skillet cornbread out of the oven and then say to my grandfather, with a sweet smile on her face, "Daddy...Supper's Ready"!
Here's a similar recipe that is truly Mississippian but remember, the fresh bird that's lived a happy life running around the barnyard, is gonna taste the best.
Please note: If you have trouble with the browness (getting brown to fast)of the chicken, cook until it gets desired color and finish in 425 degree oven for around 5 minutes to make sure the chicken is fully cooked.
Mississippi Southern Fried Chicken
1 (3 pd) whole fresh chicken, cut up into 8 or 13 pieces
1 tea. each of poultry seasoning, cayenne pepper,salt and granulated garlic
1/2 tea. ea. black pepper and smoked paprika
1/2 tea. baking soda (helps in crusting)
2 1/2 cups of buttermilk
1 egg
2 cups of flour
Crisco shortening for frying.
Take the cut-up chicken, pat dry and place in a bowl(glass or stainless steel)
Mix in half the seasonings and buttermilk and baking soda and set back in refrigerator for at least 3 hours and no more that 24. 8 works best for me.
After marinating drain the chicken and put buttermilk aside in another bowl. Add egg to milk and whisk lightly and add a little flour just make it
thicken just a bit, but be careful here because you just want it to stick to the chicken.
Mix the rest of seasonings with the flour. Place seasoned flour and chicken pieces in paper(or plastic) bag and shake it up to cover all the chicken and remove pieces and shake off excess flour.
Now dip floured chicken in batter creating a thin coat.
Have the skillet already heating to about 325 temperature (don't be to shy to use a thermometer) and lay chicken in skillet gently away from you.Do not crowd chicken. Cover and cook5 minutes on each
side. Uncover and turn heat up to 350 degrees and cook turning only once until juices run clear.
Place on paper towels to drain and serve with Collard Greens, Rice and Gravy and Hot Cornbread and ice cold deviled eggs or whatever you'd like to eat with it.
Use leftover batter to make onion rings or chicken on a stick.
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