The Art of Making Fried Chicken: A Picnic Perfection

After a big day of cleaning up our homestead, the family is going to be really, really hungry. We're going to have a big picnic and I'm taking fried chicken – something my family loves just as much as I do. And why does it make such great picnic food? Well, it doesn't have to be piping hot when you eat it; in fact, it's just as good room temperature as it is hot. There's no need for a thermometer to ensure the perfect internal temperature because the breading will retain the heat and crispiness.

To start making this delicious fried chicken, I'll begin by mixing together the coating ingredients. I've got five cups of flour, which I'll add a whole bunch of seasonings to – seasoned salt, of course, and a little bit of paprika for added depth. Then, I'll sprinkle in some cayenne pepper, just enough to give it a little kick without overpowering the dish. A pinch of ground thyme will complement the flavors nicely, and plenty of salt and pepper will round out the seasoning.

This is a trick I learned from a fellow homeschooling mom a long time ago. To mix the dry ingredients together smoothly, I'll use a mixture of milk and buttermilk to create little clumps throughout the flour. This technique gives fried chicken an amazing texture – a delicate crispiness that adds so much to the dish.

Now, it's time to prepare the breading for my two whole cut-up fryer chickens. They've been soaking in buttermilk for a few hours, and now I'll add a few pieces of the chicken to the mixture and toss them around with my fingers, pressing the crumbs onto the meat to help them stick. This is where the magic happens – the breading transforms the raw chicken into a crunchy, golden-brown delight.

While the breading is waiting to be applied, I've been heating up some oil in an iron skillet. The thermometer reads 360 degrees, which is exactly the temperature I need for perfect fried chicken. I won't deep-fry the chicken pieces – just enough oil to coat them without floating around in it. Now, I'll cover the pan and let the chicken cook for about five to seven minutes, then uncover it and flip the pieces to finish cooking for another three to five minutes.

After a few minutes of cooking, the chicken is ready – fully cooked, crispy, and golden delicious. To make sure everything is perfectly cooked, I'll put some of the smaller pieces on a plate and let them cool for a bit while the larger pieces go into a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes. This will ensure that all the chicken is cooked through, without losing any of its crispy texture.

And now, it's time to assemble our picnic spread. With fried chicken as the star of the show, there's no need for complicated sides or sauces. A simple green salad, some fresh fruit, and a few pickles will complement the flavors nicely. As we sit down to enjoy our meal, I know that this homemade fried chicken is going to bring everyone together – sharing stories, laughter, and of course, plenty of delicious food.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enafter the big day of cleaning up our homestead the family is going to be really really hungry we're going to have a big picnic and i'm taking fried chicken i love fried chicken my family really loves fried chicken and it really is the perfect picnic type food because it doesn't have to be piping hot when you eat it it's just as good room temperature as it is hot i'm going to start by making the coating for the fried chicken i've got five cups of flour and i'll just add a whole bunch of seasonings seasoned salt of course and then a little bit of paprika i'm going to add some cayenne pepper not too much just enough to add a little heat some ground thyme and then plenty of salt and pepper that looks pretty well seasoned so i'll mix the flour together now this is a little trick i learned a long long time ago from a fellow homeschooling mom i've got a mixture of milk and buttermilk and i'll use a fork and just drizzle it in and as i drizzle it into the dry ingredients i'll just mix it until the liquid makes little clumps throughout the flour that just gives the fried chicken a great texture a little bit of extra crispiness okay that looks pretty good i think i'll stop there all right now i've got two whole cut up fryer chickens and they've been soaking in buttermilk for a few hours i'm just going to put a few pieces in the breading and then just toss them around use my fingers and sort of press the breading onto the pieces now i've been heating up some oil in an iron skillet i've got a thermometer and it reads 360 degrees which is exactly the temperature i want so i'll just drop the pieces of chicken in it's not enough oil to completely deep fry the chicken pieces it's about an inch and a half of oil i just want them to sit in there not float around now i'm going to cover the pan and let them cook for about five to seven minutes and then i'll uncover it flip the pieces let them finish cooking for another three to five and i'll get it out it looks gorgeous okay now i'm actually going to take the smaller pieces stick them on a plate and just set them aside they're fully cooked they've fried enough couple more small ones okay now for these bigger pieces i'm going to put them into a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or so and that'll just make sure all the chicken is fully cooked crispy golden delicious need i say more youafter the big day of cleaning up our homestead the family is going to be really really hungry we're going to have a big picnic and i'm taking fried chicken i love fried chicken my family really loves fried chicken and it really is the perfect picnic type food because it doesn't have to be piping hot when you eat it it's just as good room temperature as it is hot i'm going to start by making the coating for the fried chicken i've got five cups of flour and i'll just add a whole bunch of seasonings seasoned salt of course and then a little bit of paprika i'm going to add some cayenne pepper not too much just enough to add a little heat some ground thyme and then plenty of salt and pepper that looks pretty well seasoned so i'll mix the flour together now this is a little trick i learned a long long time ago from a fellow homeschooling mom i've got a mixture of milk and buttermilk and i'll use a fork and just drizzle it in and as i drizzle it into the dry ingredients i'll just mix it until the liquid makes little clumps throughout the flour that just gives the fried chicken a great texture a little bit of extra crispiness okay that looks pretty good i think i'll stop there all right now i've got two whole cut up fryer chickens and they've been soaking in buttermilk for a few hours i'm just going to put a few pieces in the breading and then just toss them around use my fingers and sort of press the breading onto the pieces now i've been heating up some oil in an iron skillet i've got a thermometer and it reads 360 degrees which is exactly the temperature i want so i'll just drop the pieces of chicken in it's not enough oil to completely deep fry the chicken pieces it's about an inch and a half of oil i just want them to sit in there not float around now i'm going to cover the pan and let them cook for about five to seven minutes and then i'll uncover it flip the pieces let them finish cooking for another three to five and i'll get it out it looks gorgeous okay now i'm actually going to take the smaller pieces stick them on a plate and just set them aside they're fully cooked they've fried enough couple more small ones okay now for these bigger pieces i'm going to put them into a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or so and that'll just make sure all the chicken is fully cooked crispy golden delicious need i say more you\n"