THE WHOLE CHICKEN

Lets start here: How to cut up a whole chicken. 

A good instructional video for learning. She does not, however, cover the mess from getting the whole chicken out of the bag, "de-juiced" and cleanly onto a cutting board. 

This is not my first whole chicken rodeo, but it has been so many years that I needed to start over and learn a few of the tricks. 

All for the wanting of mothers' (our mothers) fried chicken and to see if we can re-create the flavors and what we learned from our parents and grandparents cooking in the kitchen. 

Five and half pounds, 7 bucks. The prices are going up and at times chicken counters are bare. Depends on the day and the grocery chain store or local store. The whole chicken, like the days of old, is still a go to food source that stretches the dollar. And chicken is still a comfort food too.

Patio cooking station where the afternoon temperatures hover around 105 degrees. So, this particular whole chicken was parted out and cooked early in the morning. Smaller stainless steel frying pan, stock pot, very sharp knife and a big wooden cutting board with juice groove. One wet rag, a dry rag, paper towels and a lined garbage can at my feet. Single butane burner.

My wife has been in one of her granola, homemade bread, large meatloaf and a batch of oatmeal cookie tears and the kitchen has been spoken for this past week. I do like my outdoor prepping and cooking island. 

Paper bag with flour and generous portions of salt and pepper added. The chicken pieces went in the bag, the bag was shaken to fully coat the chicken and then each piece placed in the frying pan. Back then, the chicken was fried in Crisco oil. I will try this on my next chicken fry to see if I can replicate that full flavor memory. I bet I can. 

Quarter inch of cooking oil, chicken pieces dredged inside a flowered, salt/peppered paper bag and laid inside the hot grease. All frying done on medium heat +/-. A minute frying as seen above and then five minutes with the lid on. The heat inside the frying pan increases so  burner heat is lowered. I use the sound of the frying chicken as a guide. 

Turn chicken and repeat one minute uncovered and then covered for 5 minutes. Surprisingly, no splatter.

Large pieces fried first and set inside grill, set at about 300/350 degrees to drain and finish cooking. All in all, this whole chicken frying sequence took an hour. 

The chicken back was put in the stock pot and cooked for 90 minutes making a large pot of excellent stock. I used a little salt in the water. 

This was how mom fried chicken. Frying pan browning and initial cooking and then finished in the oven baking.

My wife's mother cooked 5 whole chickens every Sunday for the family of nine. Plenty for dinner plus each of her brothers and sisters got a piece of chicken in their packed school lunch. Her mother parted out 5 chickens every Sunday and cooked till done in an electric skillet, one turning and lid on until fully cooked.

Neighbor lady has similar memories with her mother frying family chicken in a cast iron skillet. 

Nothing fancy, some work in the preparation and working over a stove.

This is the only chicken I can eat the next day cold and the next day cold and the next day cold. Fry on Saturday and pack for a Sunday picnic lunch. Add cold drinks, potato salad and a bag of chips and it is heaven; pure heaven. 

Whole chickens in the 1950's/60's were affordable on a family budget.

Whole chickens in the 2022's are still affordable on a family budget. 

Fried chicken and chicken stock can be stretched into a couple meals depending on family size. And no one that I know has ever turned their nose up at homemade fried chicken. Ohhhhh, and yes, I did make white gravy with lots of black pepper and covered the mashed potatoes (from a pouch) next to a couple chicken legs on the dinner plate.

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I keep thinking that the east Texas heat wave is starting to turn around. But I know that is wishful. Ninety-nine weekly high degree temperature forecasts are not 102 degree forecasts. But I want a sign that the worm is turning yet this is a fine line between double digits and triple digits. 

Evening entertainment watching THE TERMINAL LIST concludes for us tonight. Season one. Ranked second behind YELLOSTONE in popularity. We have been swallowed up in the story. Of course the woke and rotten tomatoes ................. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it is what it is. Decide for ourselves, huh?

It is a great story, well-written and acted. And to get to see some payback where it is deserved is refreshing.

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Trying to get back into making videos is time-consuming. Most from trying to find good video editing software. I am wary of paying for one only to find it won't do what I need done. I have also learned that upgrading the free video editors I have been using has not helped. The upgrades have reduced the length of videos I can make in the product's push to get me to pay. Maybe uninstall what I have and look in new directions. Suggestions?

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Well into August '22 and the month will pass quickly. Marching closer and closer to elections, threats of more vaxxing, and questionable leadership.  Maybe moving closer to red flags and the reality of marshal law, me thinks.

Fry up some chicken, keep your heads up and continue getting ready.

Thanks for the visit and have a blessed week.