Country Fried

My son loves cowboys.  Loves!  So, it's a good thing he has his own personal cowboy:

His Lolo and Grandpa Chuck live on a ranch about 2 hours away.  We went there to visit last weekend and he was in Heaven.  Horses, donkeys, peach trees, a new puppy, and acres of land to run and play on.  Grandpa was working late so my mom wanted to surprise him with his favorite meal.  AKA she wanted her chef daughter to make fried chicken for her husband since she usually feeds him cereal.  So I fried up the chicken with potato salad and homemade pickles.  It was crispy, moist, delicious, and he polished off half the batch with a huge smile on his face.  It's sure to satisfy even the hungriest of cowboys!

Big K's Fried Chicken

Serves 3-4

3        Each          Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breasts
6        Each          Chicken Legs, Skin Removed (you can leave it but skin freaks me out)
3        Each          Large Eggs
1        Tbsp          Kosher Salt
1        Tbsp          Granulated Garlic
1        Tbsp          Poultry Seasoning
1/4     Tsp            Celery Seed
1/4     Tsp            Dried Ground Thyme
1/4     Tsp            Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2        Cups         All-Purpose Flour
1        Tbsp         Paprika
1        Tbsp         Kosher Salt
2        Cups          Vegetable Oil

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.  Grab a large skillet and place one cup of oil in it.  Place it on your stove, but don't turn it on yet.  In a large zip top bag combine the eggs, 1 tbsp salt, garlic, poultry seasoning, celery seed, thyme, and pepper.  Shake it all about until combined, then add the chicken and coat it well.  Let it marinate for an hour in the fridge.  Meanwhile take a second zip top bag and mix thoroughly the flour, paprika, and second tbsp salt.  Once the chicken has marinated I start with the breasts.  Preheat your skillet on medium-high heat.  I flick a couple drops of water onto the oil to make sure it sizzles and is ready.  Dredge the legs in the flour until well coated, then place them into the hot oil for about 8-10 minutes on each side.  A thermometer should reach 165 degrees.  Once they are done, place them in a baking dish and place them in the warm oven to keep hot.  Next repeat the same thing again with the second cup of oil and the breasts, they take about 6-8-minutes.  Grab the legs out of the oven and serve them up.  I served mine with potato salad and homemade pickles.  Enjoy!!