Friday Night Take-away - Southern Fried Chicken

Just in case you didn't already know, let me fill you in.  We have a little family tradition on a Friday night.  We choose a take-away meal that we fancy and then cook it ourselves from scratch.  The rationale behind this is that we take charge of the ingredients (e.g. free range chicken), it usually costs less and the food is ready when we are, not 20 minutes later.

We were undecided as to what to cook tonight when fate smiled on us and through the letterbox, fluttered our salvation and muse.  Take-away menus normally have a short lifespan in our house, off the doormat and into the recycling bin in under 30 seconds.  This particular piece of urban jetsam has been saved a fate better than land-fill for the moment.

In my hands was a menu for American Fried Chicken.  This particular variation on a well known theme was festooned with chicken-in-a-bun meal deals, each with its own twist.  We decided we'd be traditional given it's our first try at SFC.

I need to point out that the one piece of kitchen equipment that I have been denied is a deep fat fryer, therefore our chicken will be roasted not fried.  Still, what's a litre of oil between friends.  We submerged chicken drumsticks in egg and then coated them in flour seasoned with smoked paprika, oregano and coriander*.

According to the menu, coleslaw and French Fries are the traditional accompaniment.  Fries were from the freezer but the slaw was yet another good way to plough through the cabbage and carrot mountain that we are still struggling to shift.

*The Colonel wouldn't give me his recipe.