Doug's Country Fried Chicken

4 lbs. chicken legs
1 cup flour
1 tsp. McCormick Rotisserie Chicken seasoning
1 tsp. Caraway seed
1 tsp. Adobo
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 gallon plastic bag
oil

In a large, deep pot (cast iron if possible) add enough oil to fill pot about 1/2 way full.  Heat to 350 degrees or until a pinch of flour sizzles.  In plastic bag mix flour and seasonings (more salt and pepper can be added at this time if you desire).  Place 3-4 chicken legs at a time into the bag and shake coating completely with flour mixture.  Using tongs, gently place into the hot oil allowing each piece to sizzle before releasing.  Don't crowd the chicken pieces.  Make sure each has room to sizzle without laying against another.  When done, chicken legs will rise to the top of the pot, approximately 8 minutes depending upon the size of the legs.  Place on paper towels to drain.

Martha:  I personally can't cook fried chicken.  Never have been able to so I decided to ask my friend Doug to cook up some of his delicious fried chicken, let me take pictures and, of course, give me his recipe.  The seasonings he used can all be changed to your own taste by adding and eliminating any and all.  The main things to remember when cooking fried chicken is to make sure the oil is hot, the chicken is well floured and they don't touch while cooking.  I do have a cast iron frying pan but for those of you who don't you can use a deep pot to cook your chicken in but unless the pan is thick/heavy, watch your oil temperature.  In a thinner pan, the oil can get too hot, boil over if too high and actually burn itself as well as the chicken.  I feel a thick/heavy pan has better heat control.  If you decide to cook chicken breasts instead of legs, you may have to cook 2-3 at a time depending on their size and the size of your pan.  Same with thighs.  Plus, your cooking time will be increased due to their size and thickness.  Wings will go the opposite due to their size and thickness.  I may break down and give Doug's fried chicken a try but until I do, I'll continue to enjoy what he cooks.  Also, what do you do with all that grease?  As long as you don't allow it to burn, you can strain and put it back into a container for your next frying.  Or you can do like Doug does after a couple of chicken fries... use it for a Fish Fry.

Lillian:  I do have my grandmother's cast iron Dutch oven as well as her frying pan and I used to use these when frying chicken.  I haven't tried the seasonings that Doug uses, though, and they are an interesting combination.  Well worth the bit of work to have something this good!!  I agree, also, that the grease can be used a few times and then go ahead and fry up those fish that you have in the freezer.  

Tips:  To evenly distribute garlic flavor to stir-fry ingredients, season the oil by cooking the garlic first.  Cook the garlic in the hot oil, keeping it moving constantly so it doesn’t burn.  After about 15 seconds, begin adding the other stir-fry ingredients to the oil.