Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Grandma's Chicken...shhhh it's a secret


My Grandmother's Chicken is legendary. She was one of five siblings and all the girls would make this dish when company came calling. It was secret for a long time. (Largely do to the lack of cooking interest among my cousins) I however finally got the recipe from my great aunt before she passed away. It is really simple and I was shocked by the "secret ingredients"
I usually make a huge package of drumsticks (my family's favorite) bu for company I will 2-3 pounds of chicken thighs, drumsticks and sometimes breast. We like a dark meat here! First you season flour with salt an pepper, dredge your chicken pieces and fry them in oil, just until lightly browned. Line a 13x9 baking dish with foil and place your browned chicken in it. (If making a huge batch, you made need another baking dish!) In a large bowl make the "secret sauce" the biggest bottle of Kraft Original BBQ, 1/3 to 1/2 cup of brown sugar, a dollop of prepared mustard and a squirt or two of ketchup.....no kidding those were her instructions...lol.
Bake in 275 degree oven for 2-2 1/2 hours, basting once half way through with remaining sauce. It is fall off the bone tender! We love it. It is pretty involved so I only do it a few times a year. The sauce has never tasted the same twice! But it is always good.

I also make up my mother's whipped potato salad. 2-3 pounds of potatoes. Prepare as you would mashed potatoes, mixing with hand mixer. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup mayo, 1 to 2 teaspoons of prepared mustard and 1/4 cup of sweet relish. My family doesn't write much down....but it is always good. The best way to follow these recipes (as I have learned) is to taste as you go. It is always easier to add something than to take it out!

I also served it with green beans and fresh corn on the cob. Here is a pic of hubby and the kids shucking corn! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

4 comments:

Debby said...

The chicken seems delicious, but I can't get the BBQ sauce. My son just made a BBQ sauce from a children's recipe book which was nice. It had brown sugar, worchesterschire sauce, tomato paste and vinegar... I wonder how far off he was. Yours look much richer, so more of the good stuff, I guess. I should have photographed him cooking, but I was eating before I thought of that. I won't ever be a great blogger I guess. Anyway thank you for sharing the recipe. It was fun to read.

Jennifer C. Valerie said...

This sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing the "secret". Enjoy your weekend.
Jenn

Deborah said...

I love the "secret" family recipes - they are always the best!!

Rico said...

if is a secret why are you sharing...lol...just kidding...thanks for sharing is beautiful and I bet tasty too.