Fried chicken dinner

Today was a horribly cold, snowy, blustery day. My husband and I huddled together under our parkas trudging through snow as we walked towards the parking lot from work. On the way home I thought of making something comforting and classic. What better than a fried chicken dinner. I love fried chicken, especially on a day when the weather is miserable. So next time you have a bad weather day-- try fried chicken.I like dark meat so I used chicken thighs. You can also use chicken breast if you like. Enjoy!



Ingredients

For fried chicken

6 to 8 chicken thighs with bone (skin removed)
1 cup flour
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red chilly powder or cayenne pepper
1 tsp poultry seasoning
salt to taste
Also keep a little bit of all the above seasonings to season chicken
1 cup buttermilk (or yogurt beaten with water)
Oil

To the flour add salt, pepper, chilly powder and poultry seasoning. Mix well and place in a shallow platter. Season chicken as with salt, pepper, poutlry seasoning and chilly powder as well. Heat oil in a pan. Dip seasoned chicken in buttermilk. Roll in flour mixture till all sides are coated well. Add to hot oil on medium heat. Fry till golden brown and the chicken is well cooked (about 8-10 minutes per side).

Mashed potatoes, gravy and boiled peas

For gravy: Take 3 tblsp of fat from the fried chicken. Add 3 tblsp of flour. Cook well on medium heat till the flour browns. Add chicken stock, stirring continuously. Season with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Once the mixture comes to a boil, take off the heat and pour into a gravy dish. Sauce will thicken more as it cools.

Mashed potatoes: Boil diced potatoes. For a healthier option use red potatoes and keep skin on. Once potatoes are well cooked, drain and add to a bowl. Add salt, pepper, sour cream and butter. Mash well when hot. Serve with gravy.

For peas, just boil frozen store bought peas. Season with salt (and butter if desired).