If you are going to kill a chicken...

If you decide to murder a chicken then the least you can do it cook it right. As Charles Barkley once said "Anything less would be uncivilized". The bible even says that "what ever thy hand findeth to do, do it with might"

Well, I know there are several "mighty" good ways to cook chicken but the goodest way of them all has to be fried. What is better than fried chicken? I used to think that Kentucky Fried was good but now that I am older it just doesn't do it for me. The best fried chicken that you can buy in Houston is at "Frenchy's". They have several locations. The original one is by U of H but they have one somewhere around Stella Link and also one one Belfort near the Soutwest Freeway. Just look them up to be sure.

Barbequed Chicken is pretty dang good also but you have to be careful not to overcook it. You want that barbequed taste and the crispy on the outside goodness but you don't want a peice of dried out chicken when you are done. I think the best way to grill a chicken is direct grilling. Right over the heat. Using a smoker doesn't really get the job done. I cooked some on the grill not too long ago. I have a medium sized weber grill and I highly recommend that as a good value. They have them at Walmart for about $69 right now already assembled. I have had mine for years and it still has not rusted out. I bought some wood chips at Walmart also. They have small bags for about $2.49 and a variety of woods. They didn't have pecan wood which is a favorite of mine so I bought some hickory and some cherry. I don't use mesquite too much because it seems to overpower the flavor but if you use mesquite, just don't use too much. They have instructions on the bag to make a foil pouch but I just got the coals going and right before I put the meat on the grill, I added the chips. They smoke pretty good right at first so be careful not to breathe in too much. You can also soak them in water for about 20 minutes before throwing them on the coals. Same thing works if you have some old pecan shells or pecans that are not good enough to eat. The general Idea is to have a hot enough fire to cook the chicken but not too hot. If you do the vents right, you can leave the chicken for about 20 minutes at a time before you have to turn it.

OK. Back to Fried Chicken. Yesterday they had chicken breasts and drumsticks at HEB for $1 per pound (limit 2) so I bought some chicken and when I got home I decided to fry it up. I think I posted about it before on here but usually I used flour. This time I decided to use some cracker crumbs. I had some low salt Saltines and I threw some on the counter and crunched them down pretty finely with a rolling pin. Then I mixed that with some flour and spices. I also had a bowl of just flour and a bowl with milk with an egg mixed in.

First throw the chicken in the flour and then dip it in the milk/egg and then sprinkle it with some spices of your choice. I mixed up some garlic powder, black pepper, and Mrs Dash. You can even mix some chili powder or whatever else makes you happy. Not too much spice that the cracker crumbs wont stick.

After you have the chicken piece soaked with milk/egg and sprinkled with a spice mixture, then roll it in the cracker crumbs/flour mixture that has a little spice in it also.

The best cooking oil I have found for fried chicken is the Wesson Best Blend. Don't used corn oil. It is rated better for holding up to the heat but the taste is not as good. There are all kinds of good oil to use so take your pick. You don't want the oil too hot but you want it hot enough to get the job done. Use your best judgement. Heat it up a little extra in the beginning so that when you drop the chicken in, it will not cool down too much. Also, You gotta use some oil. Put enough to cover the chicken about half way so that you don't have to turn it so many times. It will cook more evenly. Golden brown is good but some people like it cooked a little more.

There you have it. You can now impress your friends and neighbors.

If you really want to do it up good then wash it down with some chocolate cake and lemonaid.

Good Night.