My mother was a wonderful cook and I’m blessed to have many of her old recipes. She’s been gone for many years, but I’ve picked up her cooking habits, which, not surprisingly, were quite similar to those of my maternal grandmother and are now being imitated by my grown children. Perhaps there’s hope that home cooking will not become a lost art. The following is a recipe that I’m copying from Mother’s own handwriting, but when I pass it on, I explain that I use choice pieces of chicken such as breasts, legs and thighs. This chicken looks and tastes like it has been fried in a skillet—brown and crispy.
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon thyme or oregano
1 whole chicken cut into pieces
Preheat the oven to 425°. Melt the butter in a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl mix the flour with the parsley flakes, paprika, salt, and thyme. Dredge the chicken pieces in this mixture. Place in the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 35 minutes. Turn and cook for about 15 minutes or so until fork tender.
YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
Marilyn Miller
Somerset, Kentucky