Thanks Dad! Thanks Mom!

Perhaps I shouldn't be thanking my parents since I hope to live a long life and this recipe, if eaten often, would not be considered one that supports good health. The good news is that I only make it about once every five or six years so I suspect that other poor eating choices will ruin me before Fried Chicken ever gets a chance.

You might be tempted to make this with the skin removed, but resist that impulse. Go for this version with it's mid-century innocence when we didn't know that fried foods could clog arteries. If the oil is hot enough the skin doesn't absorb too much and some fat will fall through the cooling rack rungs to the bottom of the cookie sheet, so there, it's almost virtuous. Also it's totally delicious.

This is pure comfort food in my book! Warm, juicy savory mouth watering fried chicken with a crisp golden brown skin. I used organic Rosie brand cut up chicken and was really pleased with the flavor. If you are only going to enjoy this treat every now and then find the best bird you can to cook up.

One trick to making the crust crispy is the have the oil hot enough, especially for the breast pieces. The skin browns quickly without overcooking the meat itself. I also chilled my chicken pieces for 1/2 hour after I breaded them. That meant that a few pieces needed an additional light dusting with flour, but again it allowed the skin to brown without the heat overtaking the interior. The meat gets cooked in the oven and since the browned skin keeps the chicken juices in, every piece comes out bursting with flavor and juicy deliciousness.

So now you know why I say 'Thanks' to my Dad. He loved this chicken and made sure that we learned how to cook it. We had it for dinner, but also cooked it up in advance if we were going to take it on a picnic. It's excellent cold, too. My Mom gets the biggest 'Thanks' because she showed us how to cook this up right and gave me the recipe, too, so that I could pass it on to you.

Oven Baked Fried Chicken
Good hot with biscuits, or cold for a picnic to Izaak Walton lake, this has been a long-time family favorite.

1 cup flour ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning 1 frying chicken, cut into 8 pieces Vegetable oil for frying In a deep dish or pie pan stir together the flour, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Coat chicken in the flour mixture, shake off excess and set aside on a piece of waxed paper. (Note: At this point I chill the chicken for a half hour).

Heat oil (1 inch deep) in deep frying pan or chicken fryer until oil is quite hot (350-375 degrees F). Brown chicken a few pieces at a time. Place on cooling racks set in a cookie sheet with sides. When all pieces are brown, finish cooking chicken in 325 degree F. oven until tender (about 20 minutes).

Still enjoying the tulips in my garden. Here is a close up that shows the beautiful markings on the interior.