Dinner, which was served at midday, was the largest meal of the day. The meal started with soup, and then was followed meats. Dinner usually centered around ham, bacon, or other kinds of pork. Fried chicken also became a Southern specialty. Dinner also consisted of sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, salads, pickles, hot biscuits, and cornbread. Dessert consisted of cakes, pies, and fresh fruit. Ice cream was a special treat that was rarely served. They drink spring water, homemade cider, sweet milk, buttermilk, or coffee with cream and sugar.
Every Southern cook had their own special recipe for fried chicken. Some cooks soaked chicken pieces in buttermilk. Other cooks fried chicken in hot lard. This recipe makes a crisp crust and tender meat without using much oil for cooking.
| 2 pounds cut-up chicken breasts, wings, legs, thighs, or combination |
paper towels |
| ¸ cup all-purpose flour | 1-galloon plastic bags |
| ¹ cup white or yellow cornmeal | measuring cups |
| 1 teaspoon salt | measuring spoons |
| 1 teaspoon dried basil | large non-stick skillet |
| ¸ teaspoon paprika | fork or tongs |
| ¸ teaspoon pepper | |
| 1 tablespoon vegetable oil | |
| 1 tablespoon butter | |
Rinse and pat chicken dry with paper towels. Leave skin on for crisper chicken. In a 1-gallon plastic bag, combine ¸ cup flour, ¹ cup cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon basil, ¸ teaspoon paprika, and ¸ teaspoon pepper. Place one chicken piece at a time into bag with flour mixture. Seal bag and shake until chicken is coated with flour mixture. Repeat until all pieces have been floured. Heat 1 teaspoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in skillet until butter is melted. Carefully and gently, add chicken to skillet. Brown chicken in skillet, turning with fork tongs. Be careful not pierce skin. Juices may run out and chicken will become tough. Continue browning until all sides are brown, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Return pan to heat and cook about 20 minutes, uncovered, turning chicken every 4 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately with feather-light buttermilk biscuits for a traditional Southern meal. Makes 6 to 8 servings.