It doesn’t get any better than this!
When my kids were younger, I was a stay-at-home mom. My sister lived only about a mile or so from our house, and she had three kids to take care of in her housewife position too.
A lot of the times, our husbands would work 12 to 16 hours a day, so there were plenty of times when we got together for lunch, dinner, and other activities. It was nice to have another adult around, plus our kids loved to play with one another. It gave us a reason to get out of the house, and it kept the little ones entertained for hours which is always a nice break when you have been stuck in the house for any length of time.
One of our favorite things to do was walk down to the town park, which was just a few blocks from my house. We would load the kids up in wagons and strollers and pack a nice lunch and head down there for the day, or at least for a few hours.
Southern fried chicken was one of the main entrees that I would often make and toss in the picnic basket. It was something different than a sandwich or sub for a change. Even if there were just a couple pieces for me and my sister that were left over from dinner, it made the perfect meal.

My sister and I both learned this recipe from my grandmother when we were just young girls helping her out in the kitchen.
You see, there are five other kids besides me and my sissy, so there were seven kids total, and my mother was working full-time. She had a lot on her plate, so we always did whatever we could to try and help her out, even when grandma was there to take care of us. We shared a love of cooking, so if given the opportunity, we would make dinner, or if it was something new, we would watch it get made. That way, when we wanted to have something like this delicious fried chicken again, we knew what the heck we were doing!

Ingredients

• 1 fryer chicken, cut up or your favorite pieces (I use about 4 to 6 bone-in chicken thighs)
• 2 Tbsp Morton salt
• 2 c water
• 1 1/2 to 2 c McArthur milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 to 1 1/2 c self-rising flour
• 2 tsp McCormick’s onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp chicken soup base
• 2 tsp poultry seasoning (optional)
• canola oil for frying

Instructions
In large plastic container, dissolve 2 tablespoons salt in about 2 cups water. Remove skin from chicken pieces (optional) and place in container. Add more water if necessary to cover chicken. Place lid on container and place in refrigerator for about 1 hour.
Pour milk into a bowl. Add egg and beat with fork till fairly smooth and set aside. In another bowl add flour, seasonings and soup base. Mix well with fork. Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture, then dip in milk and egg mixture. Roll in flour mixture.
In a large deep iron skillet add oil to about 1″ deep. Heat oil to about 375 degrees and add chicken pieces. You must do this in batches of about two pieces of chicken at a time, so as not to overcrowd your pan. Cook chicken about 7 to 8 minutes per side or until juices run clear. Transfer chicken pieces to serving platter. You may also use a deep fryer set at about 350 degrees. Add only a couple of pieces at a time and cook for about 15 minutes or until juices run clear.
ALTERNATE METHOD: Heat oven to about 400 degrees. In cast iron skillet, brown chicken pieces in hot oil. Transfer chicken pieces to a broiler pan coated well with cooking spray and bake for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove from oven and transfer to serving platter.
Chicken soup base is a moist powder. It’s available in the soup/bullion aisle in most grocery stores and it is relatively inexpensive.