Family Story
Parts is Parts
Many recipes call for a whole chicken cut up. That means 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 wings, and 2 back portions. But that never worked for us. Only Dad would eat the back portions, because in his words, “parts is parts.” Usually, no one would eat the drumsticks, unless Dad was still hungry. And Rachel and Scott would not eat chicken with bones unless I cut their meat for them on their plates. When I made turkey, everyone ate the dark meat and left the breast for pot pie. They preferred dark chicken meat, but would eat boneless breasts if they were not dry. Stores sell boneless breasts with the skin on, but boneless thighs are always skinned, and most of my recipes kept the skin on.
The eventual solution to the chicken part problem was that Dad became a butcher. I would buy chicken thighs and he would bone them (and I would make soup from the bones). He did the trimming for chicken strips, and only Dad is allowed to cut chicken for Kung Pao since I do not make the pieces small enough.
So if a recipe calls for chicken parts, such as Kentucky Fried or Yorkshire Chicken, use boneless breasts and call Dad to take the bones out of the thighs. Give up on the backs.
Ingredients
- 2 packages Good Seasons Italian salad dressing
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons margarine, softened
- Chicken parts
- 2 cups pancake mix
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon sage
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Milk, for coating
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
Make a paste of salad dressing mix, flour, salt, lemon juice, and margarine. Brush 3 pounds of chicken parts with the paste to coat evenly. Stack the pieces in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Approximately 1½ hours before serving, heat ½ inch of oil in a skillet. Mix together pancake mix, paprika, sage, and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken into milk, then pancake mixture to coat the pieces well.
Lightly brown chicken about 4 minutes on each side. Place in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Spoon any remaining milk over chicken. Cover and seal with aluminum foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Raise temperature to 400°. Uncover chicken and bake 10 minutes to crisp.
Variation: Easier Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 package Good Seasons Italian salad dressing
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
Mix buttermilk, salad dressing package, and 1 teaspoon salt. Place chicken parts in buttermilk mixture. Let soak for several hours in refrigerator or at room temperature for an hour.
When ready to cook, combine flour, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic power. Dip each piece of chicken into the flour mixture, then brown in 1 cup of oil for 5 to 8 minutes on each side.
Place the chicken pieces on a baking tray and pour some of the seasoned buttermilk over each piece. Bake the chicken at 350° for ½ hour for boneless pieces or longer for bone-in chicken parts.
Glenda’s
Secrets of Success
- The original recipe has a lot of steps and is pretty labor-intensive, so I don’t make it much. But it is one of Steve’s favorites, so here it is.
- The easier recipe variation is our current favorite chicken recipe and I use it for chicken strips as well. The buttermilk tenderizes the chicken and keeps it moist, the dry salad mix adds flavor, and seasoned flour makes the chicken crispy so you do not even have to use bread crumbs. The coating adheres better if you let the dredged chicken sit for awhile before cooking.
- You can make traditional fried chicken by just frying the chicken parts in half an inch of oil in a large frying pan for about twenty minutes turning once. The easy recipe uses less oil. For chicken strips, as opposed to fried chicken, I merely brown the pieces on each side in a few tablespoons of oil. Then I put the chicken in the oven on low heat for up to an hour. The chicken stays moist and cooks through if the browning was not enough..
Cooking with the Claremons 
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