I don't care for cast iron. I use the stainless steel fryer my mother bought at a home party when I was about 4 years old (that means that the pan is about 56 years old). I love chicken any which way, but I'm in heaven when it's fried. I use vegetable shortening. My go to recipe is a combination of two recipes from "Cooking With the Chicken Man", by Leonard Thomas. In my opinion, his "method" was a game changer for me. Spicy Buttermilk Fried Chicken: 1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into serving pieces 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp onion powder 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning 1 tsp. cayenne 2 cups vegetable shortening Wash the chicken and pat it dry. In a bag or bowl, combine the chicken, buttermilk, salt and pepper. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour. In a large paper or plastic bag, mix the onion powder, garlic powder, flour, Old Bay Seasoning and cayenne. Put a few pieces of chicken in the bag and shake to coat. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Shake off any excess flour. Place the chicken on a baking rack until time to cook. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1/2 inch shortening to 350 degrees. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cover. After 5 minutes, uncover; the pan should remain uncovered for the remaining time. After 5 more minutes, turn all the pieces over. Continue cooking about 10 minutes, or until well browned and crisp and the juices run clear. Remove the chicken to paper towels. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.

Skillet-Fried Chicken Prep 10 min Total 45 min Servings 6 Ingredients 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon paprika 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 3- to 3 1/2-lb cut-up whole chicken Steps In shallow dish, mix flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Coat chicken with flour mixture. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil (1/4 inch) over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil, skin sides down, about 10 minutes or until light brown on all sides; reduce heat to low. Turn chicken skin sides up. Simmer uncovered about 20 minutes, without turning, until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (170°F for breasts; 180°F for thighs and legs). Tips Lighten it up: For 11 grams of fat and 250 calories per serving, remove skin from chicken before cooking. Use only 2 tablespoons oil in step 2. To make Buttermilk Fried Chicken: Increase flour to 1 cup. Dip chicken into 1 cup buttermilk before coating with flour mixture. Use medium-high heat to brown chicken. For the best browning, the skillet should be hot when you add the chicken. Let the chicken cook on one side without turning. When it is properly browned, it should release from the pan without sticking so the other side can be cooked. Cut into chicken pieces to make sure that juices run clear and are no longer pink.

Here it is. Easy Oven-Fried Chicken 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley chipotle powder or curry powder to taste salt & pepper about a cup of Panko bread crumbs 4 thighs or breasts Combine mayo, Parmesan, parsley, chipotle or curry powder, salt & pepper. Coat thighs with mix, then roll in Panko. Coat a sheet pan with a couple tablespoons vegetable oil. Place thighs on pan and bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I’ve also done it using just mustard and Panko. Honeycup mustard Panko thighs or breasts Coat chicken with Honeycup, then roll in Panko. Coat sheet pan with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Place chicken on pan and bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.

I've been in a Hobby Lobby store only once, did not notice any proselytizing in there. I've been in Hobby Lobby three times; actually did buy something -- yarn with which to knit while traveling -- on two of those three occasions. Their muzak system plays Christian tunes. I'm not exactly saying it's a great deal better to hear a muzak version of "Afternoon Delight" at the grocery store, but it's noticeably non-secular at HL. I find there to be a strong disconnect between the holier-than-thou music and the aisle-upon-aisle of mass-produced stuff that is mostly garbage made in Asia on the backs of those that Jesus would have called "the least of these." You can purport to operate a business on "Biblical principles" all day long, but when what you really mean is that you run things on a narrowly-defined set of "family values" - as long as the family looks and acts a certain way - then I've got a BIG problem with that. And I'm even sorry I bought yarn there. I guess you'd say I know this mindset very well. I lived it myself for a number of years that I wish to God I could have a do-over on. Coming out on the other side of the religious right and learning what the phrase "God is love" means is enlightening and liberating. Obviously I'm still grappling with how to extend my love and acceptance to those who hold to an extremely conservative view, and admittedly I'm not there yet. Then again (and by no means am I drawing a corollary between myself and him), even Jesus got pissed enough to overturn the tables in the temple.