Mean Chef's Southern Fried Chicken and Gravy

Being from Kentucky, fried chicken has always been a mainstay on our table. This is the same recipe my family has used for generations with the exception of adding 1 teaspoon of paprika to the flour and using Crisco (used to use lard) to fry it in. The cook for my grandmother taught me to put 2 tablespoons of water in the hot fat towards the end of frying and immediately cover it with the lid to make sure it stayed moist. After the sputtering quits, then remove the lid to let the chicken "crisp up". This trick has always worked for me, but make sure you do not have your fat too close to the top of the skillet or it will be a mess.

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I followed the recipe to the letter (using salted water), and the resulting chicken was crispy on the outside, and tender and juicy on the inside. Served with mashed potatoes and gravy and steamed peas. Luscious comfort food! I thought I would miss the seasonings that I normally add--thyme, paprika and granulated onion, but no! This recipe is perfect as is. Thanks Mean!

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OMG,this was the best fried chicken I've ever made. I've been trying for over 40 yrs and finally had success. My DH said that it even looks like fried chicken. I didn't have time to brine overnite, just 2 or 3 hrs, but the flavor was not just in the coating but all the way thru the chicken, crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. Next time I will brine overnite. While making the gravy, rather then pouring off the hot oil, I used a metal measuring cup to scoop some drippings out and made gravy in a seperate sauce pan. Thank you for posting.

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I made this last night. My second attempt ever at fried chicken, the first one being almost 15 years and it was disaster. But this recipe worked great. The chicken was incredibly moist inside and crunchy on the outside-just perfect! The gravy was right on!

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Yep, this is the one! I have removed all other recipes for fried chicken from my cookbook. Just a little bit of "spring chicken" cleaning! ;)

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Excellent fried chicken and gravy. Everyone loved it. Served with mashed potatoes and steamed corn for the perfect cold day comfort dinner. I marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce, but didn't see the note at the end about dipping in flour, then buttermilk mixture then flour again until I had already dumped the marinade all out. Oh well... It was still great. I also added the tsp of creole seasoning. Perfect! Thanks!

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Good Recipe! I never knew making Gravy could be that easy.

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My first MeanChef recipe, although I've been reading them for awhile. This chicken came out so crispy, juicy, perfect. I used the salted water marinade, but I also added hotsauce. The gravy was the real showstopper. I have a terrible record with gravy - this one must be totally foolproof. I highly recommend this recipe.

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This is exactly the way I've always made fried chicken. I was taught to prepare it this way by my little southern (Alabama) grandmother. Thanks for sharing this recipe so everyone can learn how to make "real" southern fried chicken!! It's delish!

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Excellent, absolutely wonderful. I cooked the chicken in a cast iron skillet and it was wonderful. The chicken was very moist and very tender. Excellent, a new addition to our "Regular" meals!

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