Spicy Fried Chicken

A little Cayenne,
for a delicious flavor—




[2col1]Who doesn’t like fried chicken?  It was one of my childhood favorites, and my husband likes spicy food, so this recipe really hits the spot.   When you see Cayenne pepper, you might think it will be too hot, but it really isn’t.  I use a lot of Cayenne when making this, but you can use just a little, if you like.  I have a deep-sided cast iron frying pan that I use, but a deep fryer would be great to have some day.  (I hope my husband reads this article.)  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 chicken cut up (3 to 4 lbs)
ground red pepper (Cayenne)
salt
black pepper
1 egg
flour
peanut oil for frying

[endcol] [2col2]Dry chicken well with paper towels.  Sprinkle liberally with Cayenne and salt.  Then sprinkle with black pepper.

Place chicken pieces in a plastic bag, and refrigerate for several hours, just to let the flavor penetrate.  Pour some flour in a shallow dish, about 1 1/2 cups.  If you like, you can season the flour with a little more Cayenne, salt and black pepper.  Whisk everything together.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and pour into a flat dish.  Dip the chicken first in the egg, then in the flour.  Place the chicken pieces on a rack, or just place into another dish.  Let it rest for at least 15 minutes.

Pour the oil in a heavy skillet with deep sides to a depth of 2 to 3 inches.  Heat the oil to about 335º F.  I clip a cooking thermometer to the side of the pan.  Try to keep the oil as close to 335º F during the frying process as you can.   If you have a deep fryer, don’t put too many pieces in at once because the chicken cools the oil.

If you are using a pan, you will need to fry the chicken about 10 minutes per side.

Laissez les bons temps rouler! 
Not quite, but almost Cajun!

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