Directions:
Wash chicken pieces. Soak in milk for 30 minutes. Drain, but do not dry. Sprinkle salt on both sides.
Place the flour, pepper and 1 teaspoon salt into a medium size brown paper bag. Add chicken pieces. Close the bag and shake until all pieces are evenly coated.
Remove chicken pieces from bag. Shake to remove excess flour.
Place chicken pieces on rack and dry for about 20 minutes. Heat shortening in a large skillet at a high temperature for a few minutes, until fat is crackling hot. Carefully place chicken pieces in the skillet, side by side with fleshy side down. Cook rapidly for a few minutes to give pieces a firm, light borwn crust on the bottom. Turn each piece as it reaches this point. When all pieces have been turned, continue cooking at a high temperature for another minute.
Reduce heat to low and cover skillet. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes until thoroughly cooked.
Remove cover and tur heat up again to a high temperature. Turn each piece as the bottom becomes golden and crisp, but not too brown. The top of the pieces will have a soft, soggy appearance, but a few minutes of high temperature crisping will give them a golden crispness.
Remove pieces ad drain on paper towels. Serve with chicken cream gravy. Serves 4 people.
Recipe from a post card by United Souvenir and Apparel, Belcamp, MD.
According to the post card, "Maryland's chicken industry is concentrated in rural sections of the lower Eastern Shore... The business is Maryland's largest agricultural endeavor, contributing almost $1 billion to the state's economy."
Fried Chicken Sandwich--eaten in Annapolis and Southern Maryland Ingredients:
Directions:
Place the milk and the flour in seperate shallow bowls. Add salt and pepper to the flour to taste. Dip the chicken in the milk then in the flour mixture. Place on a platter. Set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed pan with a lid, heat about 1/4 inch canola oil. Add the chicken and cook about 2 minutes on each side or until it starts to brown. Cover the chicken and cook 8 minutes or until the chicken is very nearly fully cooked. Uncover and fry on both sides until well browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper-towel lined plates.
The reason this is called a "sandwich" is that the street vendor advertises a sandwich, or has a sign calling it that. For the price of a meal, you get a canned softdrink, a bag of chips, and the "sandwich," which means they've placed the chicken between two slices of ordinary white bread. Alternatively, you can buy just the "sandwich." There is no way to buy the chicken without the bread. The vendors are always surprised when I ask. When I lived and worked in Annapolis, I bought this sandwhich a couple of times. I also purchased it when I was on jury duty at the courthouse one time. I never learned how you are supposed to each this chicken "sandwich," as people would buy their meal or their sandwich and return immediately to their place of business to eat during the lunch break.
I ran into this same type of chicken "sandwich" in Sourthern Maryland at a pow-wow. I did the same thing I did in Annapolis. I ate the chicken thigh first while drinking my soda. Then I ate the bread. My husband did the same. As we finished eating, another family sat down with a bunch of sandwiches, so we dawdled with our drinks to see how they ate their sandwiches. They too picked up the chicken and ate it with their hands, then they threw the bread away.
The recipe above for Fried Chicken Sandwich was originally one I found for Maryland Fried Chicken. This recipe specified thighs. I've never seen a Maryland Fried Chicken Sandwich made with wings, drumsticks, or breasts--only thighs.
The ingredients seemed to mimic what I ate on different occasions, made by different vendors, and served as a Fried Chicken Sandwich.
copyright 2015 Myth Woodling