The Day I Fried Chicken...

and nobody got hurt. I will confess that while I've fried my share of chicken fingers, boneless chicken breasts, and pork chops, I had never actually fried bone-in chicken. But, in my quest to improve myself as a cook, I felt the need to tackle it. So, I decided to start with my favorite piece of fried chicken: the drumstick. I bought a large package - 17 legs - and fried them all!! By the time I finished the first batch, the whole house smelled wonderful, like the days of my childhood when my Mama and Mema still fried their own chicken. After my success, my husband said that I'm no longer allowed to buy fried chicken from our local grocery store. Hmmm...what have I done?!?

Here's my large bowl of chicken legs. I rinsed them under cold water.

I seasoned them with 1 tbsp. of regular salt, 1/2 tbsp. of course black pepper, and 3 tbsp. of Crystal hot sauce. I used my hands to make sure that all of the pieces were coated. Then, I refrigerated for an hour to allow the flavors to blend.

In a gallon-sized zippered storage bag, I added 1-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. of my seasoning blend, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Even with the hot sauce and cayenne, this chicken wasn't spicy, just flavorful.

I coated the legs two at a time in the flour.

I don't have a cast iron skillet so I used my largest frying pan. I used canola oil and cooked the chicken on medium heat (number 6 on electric heat), ten minutes on each side for a total of 20 minutes.

Even with all the hot grease, I didn't have a lot of splattering and nobody got hurt, mainly me.

Drained on paper towels. The crust was crisp and the chicken was cooked all the way to the bone.

Fried chicken - done! Another item checked off the kitchen bucket list!

Enjoy!!!