Although chicken wasn’t rationed, we always thought of it as something special to serve on Sunday or for special celebrations. The trouble with a whole chicken is that when cut up there are some parts that no one really wants. My mother used to always insist that the backs, necks, and wings were her favorite parts and let my father and I have the legs, thighs, and breast pieces. I mentioned this recently to some friends and they remembered their mothers doing the same thing. It’s possible there was a poster telling home-front mothers that the patriotic thing to do was to give the good parts to your family. Or perhaps it’s just a part of being a mother.
1 (3½-pound) frying chicken, cut into 8 pieces
⅓ cup unsifted all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large egg
⅓ cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening or butter (or a mixture)
1½ cups water
Rinse and thoroughly drain chicken. Combine flour, salt, and pepper on a plate or in a plastic bag; add chicken pieces and turn or shake to coat completely; reserve any remaining flour. Lightly beat egg in a medium bowl; measure crumbs onto another plate. Dip flour-coated chicken pieces into egg and then into crumbs to coat completely.
Heat 1 tablespoon shortening over medium heat in 5-quart Dutch oven. Add as many chicken pieces as will fit and sauté until browned on all sides. When browned, remove chicken to one of the plates used above and brown remaining pieces, adding remaining shortening as necessary. Remove chicken pieces to plate.
Add a rack and 1 cup water to the Dutch oven in which you sautéed the chicken. Replace the chicken pieces. Bring water to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer chicken until tender, about 45 minutes.
To serve, remove chicken to serving platter. Lift rack from Dutch oven. Skim off any fat from drippings. Beat remaining ½ cup water into the reserved flour mixture and stir into drippings in bottom of Dutch oven. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Strain into a gravy boat and serve with fried chicken.
4 Servings