Sunday Splurge: Southern Fried Chicken

I recently bought Matthew a deep fryer as a gift, and we had yet to cook anything unhealthy and delicious.  We decided to have some friends over for supper last night, so we christened the fryer by making a great Southern delicacy - fried chicken.  We followed this Paula Deen recipe, and dipped each piece in homemade come back sauce (try this recipe).  It was the ultimate indulgence before starting the work week! 

Thanks to Paula, here is the recipe for the yummy fried chicken:

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• About 1 cup hot red pepper sauce (recommended: Texas Pete)
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• House seasoning, recipe follows
• 1 (1 to 2 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into pieces
• Oil, for frying, preferably peanut oil

Directions

In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs with the water. Add enough hot sauce so the egg mixture is bright orange. In another bowl, combine the flour and pepper. Season the chicken with the house seasoning. Dip the seasoned chicken in the egg, and then coat well in the flour mixture.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a deep pot. Do not fill the pot more than 1/2 full with oil.

Fry the chicken in the oil until brown and crisp. Dark meat takes longer then white meat. It should take dark meat about 13 to 14 minutes, white meat around 8 to 10 minutes.

House Seasoning:

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.