Hi I’m Erin. Today I will show you a recipe
that I’ve eaten my entire life. Fried Chicken, but it’s not the traditional crispy, crunchy
fried chicken you usually think of. It’s fall off the bone tender and delicious. See
how it’s done on Our Wyoming Life
If this is your first time here make sure you hit that subscribe button because here
on the ranch there’s always things to do. Mike has daily chores and the cows always
need his attention. The next farmers’ market is just a few weeks away and our crops need
attended to as well. And the kids well, when do they ever not need something! But no matter
how busy we are we always need to eat. Everyone does, everywhere. It’s something we all
have in common. This chicken recipe has been in my family for generations. My Grandma made
it often for her children and maybe my Great Grandmother even cooked it too. We don’t
really know where the recipe originated from. I do know that I enjoyed this chicken often
as a child and as soon as Mike started coming to family dinners 11 years ago he got to enjoy
it as well.
In our family we simply call it fried chicken. But it’s not southern fried crispy chicken.
It’s pan fried and then baked in the oven until it falls off the bone. The drippings
are used to make a rich gravy so mashed potatoes are of course necessary with this meal. A
green salad or a steamed vegetable usually made it’s way to the table with this delicious
chicken.
First thing we need to do is get out a large skillet and add about an 1/8 of an inch of
vegetable or canola oil. Turn the heat onto medium or just a little above medium. Also
turn the oven to 350. We have one whole chicken that’s been cut up. This recipe works best
with a bone in cut of chicken. It’s been spread out onto a cookie sheet so that salt
and pepper can be sprinkled on. Then it’s into a light flour dredge. Make sure to shake
off the excess flour. Then place the chicken skin side down into the hot oil. Keep adding
chicken until the skillet is full but not over crowded. It’s okay to leave a little
space in between each piece. Now it’s important to leave the chicken alone while it gets nice
and crispy and brown on the first side. It’s going to take about 8-10 minutes. You want
it nice and brown but not burnt. Once it’s ready flip it to the other side. Leave it
to cook for 5-6 minutes on the second side.
At this point the chicken is not cooked all the way but it’s time for it to come out
of the pan. It’s moved into a large roaster. We keep frying the chicken until all the pieces
have made their way to the roaster.
Next step it to drain some, but not all of the grease out of the skillet. Be careful
it’s hot. Half of a onion that’s been sliced is added to the skillet and cooked
3-4 minutes until it starts to soften. Water is added to the pan next. This is a large
chicken so a cup and a half of water is added to the skillet and the heat is turned on high.
For a smaller chicken only 1 cup of water is needed. We want to bring the water to a
boil and scrape all the delicious brown bits off of the bottom of the pan. The hot water
then gets poured over the chicken in the roaster. The lid is put on and the chicken goes into
the hot 350 degree oven for about an hour.
While the chicken bakes feel free to peel and boil some potatoes so you can enjoy more
of the delicious gravy we will make once the chicken is done.
After an hour the chicken is cooked all the way through and is practically falling off
the bones. It’s time to take it out of the oven. It can be placed on a platter for serving
and tent it with tinfoil to keep it warm while we make the gravy.
2-3 cups of water is added to the roasting pan. A little bit of kitchen bouquet is poured
into the pan. Probably about ½ teaspoon. You don’t want the gravy to be too dark.
About ¾ of a cup of flour has been added to a measuring cup and enough water to make
it pourable. Salt can also be added to the flour thickener. Once the drippings and water
come to a boil, pour the flour mixture into the pan while stirring continuously. Add as
much flour mixture to reach your desired gravy thickness. If it gets too thick add some more
water to the pan. The gravy will thicken more as it comes to a boil and you want to let
the gravy boil for 2-3 minutes to cook all of the flour. Then it’s time for salt and
pepper and tasting the gravy. Keep adding salt and pepper until it’s too your preferred
taste. The gravy can take quite a bit of salt to don’t be alarmed if you have to keep
adding more.
Once the gravy is cooked and thickened you can strain it. A fine mesh sieve placed over
a large bowl works great. This chicken is a great meal for family get
togethers or special occasions. It’s really simple ingredients, inexpensive and tastes
superb. This was also one of my Stepdad Gilbert’s favorite meals. He used to have these huge
birthday parties. There would be 80-100 people there most years. One year he asked for my
mom’s fried chicken. One year while I was in college I decided to come home and help
my mom with the birthday party. We cooked for 2 days and the day of the party we fried
17 chickens and then drug it 30 miles out into the country along with a ton of other
food. Fun times let me tell you. Even when we’re having fun the ranch always required
hard work and the reward is definitely worth the effort.
Coming up on Sunday Mike has another ranch episode where he will be sorting and starting
to grain finish steers, Tuesday it’s back at the project list and next Thursday we will
live stream and answer all your questions. Make sure you subscribe for more from the
ranch and comment with your favorite way you like to have your chicken! As always thanks
for joining us in Our Wyoming Life.