I fried half a whole chicken, so I might as well make some side dishes. I cooked some green beans with onions and black pepper and also mashed potatoes with roasted garlic. I have enough food for two to three days.
Hey Patti, I took this dish of chicken out of the frig and waited about 45 minutes. On days when I was in a hurry, the chicken would "get room temperature" by the time I took it out of the frig to cut it up, mix flour and seasonings, mix buttermilk and egg, then start the process of frying up the chicken. It was not a rule set in stone for me that the chicken had to be at room temperature. No, I don't cover the chicken after it's fried. 20 years ago, I could get a whole chicken in that cast iron Dutch oven. Chickens have gotten bigger. Years ago, I fried the entire thing all at once. I started with the dark meat, letting them cook for about 10 minutes, then added the white meat. I took the chicken out of the Dutch oven simultaneously, piece by piece. There was no need to cover the chicken 'cause it was fixing to go on the table for eating. Usually, there was never any left.
I'm fine, Steph. Thank you for asking. Yes, bacon drippings are used to cook chicken and many other foods. Years ago, when I made breakfast for my husband every day, I could save enough bacon drippings to fry chicken.
