Fried Chicken

A plain skillet fried chicken from the camp-cooking chapter, built around a covered pan rather than deep fat. The instructions assume a bird you have killed and cleaned yourself, so most of the adjustment is at the shopping stage.

• "Up to six months old"This is a note about buying a live or freshly killed bird: older birds are tough and want stewing. A supermarket broiler-fryer of 3 to 4 lb is the modern equivalent and needs no such judgement.
• Dressing and singeingSingeing burned off the pin feathers left after plucking. A store-bought chicken needs none of this; rinse only if you wish, pat thoroughly dry, and skip straight to cutting.
• Cut in quartersQuarters are large for pan frying and cook unevenly. Eight pieces -- two breast halves, two thighs, two drumsticks, two wings -- brown better and cook through in about the time given.
• Fat from salt porkThe fat would have been rendered from salt pork, the usual camp and farmhouse frying fat. Lard, or a neutral oil with a few ounces of diced bacon rendered in it, gives much the same effect. Season the flour a little less if the fat is salty.
• Depth of fatAbout a quarter inch in a heavy skillet, hot enough that a floured piece sizzles at once, roughly 350 to 365F. Too little fat and the coating scorches in patches.
• The covered stageCovering after browning is what makes this recipe work: the trapped steam cooks the thick pieces through without burning the crust. Uncover for the last few minutes to crisp the coating back up.
• DonenessTwenty minutes covered is right for small pieces, but go by temperature -- 165F at the thickest part of the thigh, away from bone. Large modern thighs and breasts may want 25 to 30 minutes.
• YieldThe recipe allows three-quarters to one pound of chicken per person; a 3 1/2 lb bird cut in eight will serve four on that reckoning.