#MEwx Hot, humid and Southern Fried Chicken

Good morning Augusta

This morning we have areas of dense fog burning off with mostly sunny skies. Visibility one quarter mile or less in the fog. Warmer today with highs in the upper 80s. Light and variable winds, becoming west around 10 mph this afternoon.

Tonight we'll have partly cloudy skies with humid conditions. Lows will be in the mid 60s with light and variable winds.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Our outdoor temperature is 65.3°F, the humidity is 97% and the dew point is 64.4°F.

The wind direction is Northwest between 0.2 MPH and 0.5 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.95, the Absolute pressure is 29.75 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun/clouds.

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers with bright and sunny skies above what's left of the fog.

The UV rating is  1 out of 16, The moon is 5.8% illuminated, the moon phase is Waning Crescent, Sunrise is 5:12 am↑ 59° Northeast, Sunset is 8:17 pm↑ 301° Northwest, Moonrise is 2:57 am↑ 57° Northeast, Moonset is 6:51 pm↑ 304° Northwest and we'll have 15 hours 5 minutes of daylight today.  

We didn't receive any rain here  over the past 24 hours.

Ever since this blasted virus came out I've been staying away from most public places I loved to go to, like a few of my favorite Fried Chicken take-out places. Now they say the containers the food comes in "could" have the virus on it? Okay, Let's just make this at home.

Southern Fried Chicken

2 cut up fryer chickens in 16 pieces

4 1/4 cups buttermilk

5 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons seasoned salt, such as Lawry's

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground dried thyme

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more for seasoning

1/4 cup milk

Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Thoroughly rinse the chicken, then cover all the pieces with 4 cups buttermilk and soak in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours. When you're ready to fry the chicken, remove the bowl from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes, just to take off the chill.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 360 degrees F and mix up the breading. Place the flour, seasoned salt, paprika, pepper, thyme and cayenne (extra cayenne if you like heat) in a very large bowl. Stir together well.

In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup buttermilk and the milk. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and, with a fork, gradually mix until there are little lumps throughout. This will adhere to the chicken and make for a crispier breading. If necessary, add a little more flour or milk to the bowl in order to make it slightly lumpy.

Heat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat until a thermometer reaches 365 degrees F. Lower the heat slightly, if necessary, to keep the oil from getting hotter.  Working in batches, thoroughly coat each chicken piece with the breading, pressing extra breading onto the chicken if necessary. Place the breaded

pieces on a plate. Add the chicken to the oil 3 or 4 pieces at a time. Make sure they aren't sticking together, then cover the pan and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the chicken isn't getting too brown. Turn the pieces over, cover again, and cook 3 to 5 minutes more. All the while, monitor the temperature of the oil to make sure the chicken doesn't burn.

Place the chicken on a baking sheet and continue frying the rest of the chicken. When all the chicken has been fried, remove the wings and legs to a plate and keep covered. These should be cooked all the way through by now but always check, if any pink juice or meat is visible. If so, return to the hot oil for another minute or so until fully cooked. Leave the thighs and breasts on the baking sheet.

Bake the thighs and breasts for 15 minutes to finish the cooking process.  Sometimes I'll cut into the thicker part of one of the larger pieces, just to make sure the chicken is cooked through. If any pink juice or meat is visible, the chicken needs to continue cooking in the oven.

This Recipe is courtesy of Ree Drummond