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I bought that 10 lb bag of (11) chicken quarters for $0.29/lb, total cost $2.90. And I was trying to figure out what to do with it. Thanks to google and tammysrecipes.com, I had an exact answer! (By the way, I like this lady’s style of cooking – pragmatic, and efficient, homestyle)
I did what she did – made fried chicken drumsticks with the drumsticks (by the way, I could fit all 11 drumsticks into my 12″ pan), and boiled the thighs in salted water, and made broth and shredded chicken.
The Fried Chicken:
Grace liked it, parents and I thought it was a little bland. Lots of cooking time, albeit fairly simple, but takes a long time to make it this way. Doing this method ensures very soft, tender chicken that is, indeed, thoroughly cooked. But I thought it needed more oomph. Next time, I’d probably brine or salt the chicken, because the meat itself is rather mild. Overall, good chicken, I don’t love it as much as the author, but it’s good chicken. Not sure if I’ll make it again because it is an awful lot of work for one plate of food. Note, I didn’t cook it nearly as long as the lady did in the descriptions, but it still took a long time, ~1.5 hour?
One thing I learned is that it really pays to have lots of space and liquid and/or flour when dredging. It makes everything soooo much easier. It definitely isn’t something you do in times of scarcity, because there will be a waste of flour, oil, and any dredging liquids you use. But it is pretty darn tasty.
Boiled chicken:
Glad to develop more comfort making stock and making boiled chicken. It isn’t hard, you just need to try it several times to get it down. Salted water, heat, ~1 hr of cooking time. Check the meat to see if it’s at temperature.
All that said, this was a lot of work to pull the flesh from the bones of 11 thighs, skim off all the fat from the stock, clean all the dishes, etc. Definitely an all afternoon/evening activity — like canning I guess. On the flip side, you get some quality stock, shredded chicken, and fried drumsticks, but I spent pretty much my entire Saturday cooking (well, I also made carne mechada & rice). You have to plan around doing this.
What we do with 10 pounds of chicken leg quarters
On occasion, a local grocery store will have a sale on chicken leg quarters. For 29 or 39 cents per pound, I can get a 10-pound bag for $3-4. Here is what I make with a 10-pound bag of chicken leg quarters! (Our family has two adults and a two-year-old.)
First, I cut apart the drumsticks and thighs.* To cut apart leg quarters, use a sharp knife and carefully cut the skin and meat around the joint. As you get closer to the bone, wiggle knife back and forth and cut the tendons and cartilage near the joint until drumstick is separated from thigh, without cutting through bone. The photo above shows a drumstick that has been cut through the cartilage.
I rinse the chicken pieces, and usually use the drumsticks for My Mom’s Easy Fried Chicken. The fried drumsticks are one of Joshua’s favorite meals, and there is usually enough drumsticks for 2-3 meals. (I never buy the packages of just drumsticks, because whole chickens from Aldi, or leg quarters on sale are so much cheaper.)
Here are the drumsticks… before frying, and then on our plate, ready to eat!
And here are the chicken thighs, put into my largest stock pot. I add water to cover and bring them to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, I turn down the heat and simmer until fully cooked.
I take the fully-cooked thighs from the water (now broth) and put them on a plate to cool slightly. When the thighs are cool enough to handle, I take the meat off the bones, discarding the fat, bones, and skin.
I cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Usually I save some meat out for use during the next couple of days, to make things like hot chicken sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, orcheesy chicken vermicelli.
Whatever meat I won’t be able to use within 4-5 days, I package into freezer bags (or containers) in 2 to 3-cup portions. I label the bags with the date, content, and amount. Then when I need some cooked cubed chicken for a recipe, I can just thaw a package! For a list of recipes on this website that use “leftover” cooked cubed chicken, visit my leftovers page!
With the broth (from cooking the thighs) I sometimes make a large batch of cream of chicken condensed soup. I freeze my homemade cream of chicken soup in 1 to 2-cup amounts, and thaw as needed for recipes.
Another favorite use for chicken broth is to make homemade yellow rice. The rice has a wonderful flavor, and leftover yellow rice can be used to make chicken fried rice.
For more ideas about using chicken and preparing it in advance, check out my articleCooking Ahead: A Basic How-To!
*I always cut them apart unless I wish to use some for baked chicken leg quarters. For our baked leg quarters, I rinse the chicken pieces, sprinkle both sides with seasonings (garlic salt, lemon pepper, and seasoned salt) and spray lightly with cooking oil. I set the leg quarters on a wire rack or “grill” and put a cookie sheet under it to catch drips (use an old cookie sheet for this!). Bake at 375 degrees until fully cooked.
My Mom’s Easy Fried Chicken with Gravy or Rice
A flavorful, crispy, simple-to-make fried chicken that always turns out perfect!
8 servings
Chicken leg quarters or drumsticks and/or thighs, enough to cover the bottom of your (large) skillet
3-4 tablespoons vegetable shortening or oil, for frying
Lawry’s seasoned salt
salt
ground black pepper
paprika
1/4 cup water
Gravy or Rice ingredients: (see additional notes)
1. Remove excess fat from chicken pieces. If using leg quarters, cut apart drumsticks and thighs*. Rinse chicken under running water, and coat with flour. I put flour in a large bowl and just put all the pieces in and stir to coat.
2. In a large skillet (or two, depending on how much chicken you want to fry), heat about 3-4 tablespoons of oil or shortening over medium heat. When oil is hot, lay chicken pieces in oil, arranging to fit the most in your skillet.
3. Brown chicken pieces on both sides. While browning on one side, sprinkle the top of the chicken pieces with generous amounts of seasoned salt, salt, pepper, and paprika. Season both sides of chicken.
4. Add additional oil only if needed as frying. (You should have about 1/4 to 1/2-inch of oil in your pan.) When chicken is well-browned (this should take about 30 to 45 minutes over medium heat), add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water to your pan and cover with a lid.
5. Boil for about 15 minutes, or until chicken pieces are heated through. Then turn your burner as low as it will go. Cook for 45-60 minutes or until done, depending on size of pieces.
6. When chicken is done, lift from the skillet with tongs (allowing the pieces to drip a little) and place in a glass baking dish. Chicken should be loosely placed in the dish, with space between the pieces, and not squished together. Put uncovered dish of chicken in a 300-degree oven for 20-30 minutes to allow chicken to dry out and become crispy again**.
7. Remove as much oil as possible from the drippings in your skillet. Thicken remaining drippings for a tasty gravy (add salt if needed) or make rice with the drippings***.
My Mom’s Fried Chicken (shown with rice recipe included)
*To cut apart leg quarters, use a sharp knife and carefully cut the skin and meat around the joint. As you get closer to the bone, wiggle knife back and forth and cut the tendons and cartilage near the joint until drumstick is separated from thigh, without cutting through bone.
**If you need to keep your chicken warm a little longer (like while you prepare the rest of the meal), turn oven lower until you’re ready.
***To make rice:
1. Be sure that you have removed enough of the grease from the top of the drippings. It doesn’t have to be completely removed, but if you have too much, the rice won’t turn out as well.
2. Add your rice. Add however much you want to make. Then add water to make enough liquid for the amount of rice you’re making. I always guess on this; I’ve read that the level of the water in the pan (with rice in also) should be about 3/4-inch above the level of the rice.
3. Once you’ve added your rice and water, cover and bring to a boil. Stir once and then re-cover and turn heat to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until rice is done. Fluff rice with a fork and add salt to taste.
15 minutes
allow at least 2 hours
This fried chicken recipe is the best I have ever tried. The flavor is excellent, and the meat is always tender and the skin is crispy and seasoned.
What I really love about this recipe is that the chicken is always, 100% of the time, fully-cooked inside. It can be a challenge to make fried chicken that isn’t burnt or too dark on the outside, but still completely cooked on the inside.
This recipe solves that problem by first browning the chicken and then covering and cooking for a while. The chicken is restored to a crispy outside by being kept warm in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until you’re ready to eat it.
I know the lengthy instruction list makes this seem like a complicated recipe, but it really isn’t! I just tried to be thorough in describing exactly how to do everything. 🙂
And yes, this is my mom’s own recipe that she came up with after many tries resulting in under-cooked fried chicken drumsticks. 🙂 She’s been doing it this way for about 12-15 years now, and we all love it!
Personally, I think this is the BEST recipe for fried chicken drumsticks or thighs! My rating: 10/10