Alma Basham’s Fried Chicken 

Like many country-style cooks, Alma laughs at the notion of measuring fried-chicken ingredients. As she puts it: “Just shake the seasoning into the flour, you know, a good bit of each — but don’t overload it.”

1 chicken — either a whole one, cut up, or a large pack of drumsticks or wings (a package of chicken breasts works, too)

All-purpose flour, 2 to 3 cups

Seasonings: Mix ample amounts (but not too much) of salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder, paprika (“for the color”) and Old Bay seasoing.

Vegetable oil for frying

Prepare the chicken by rinsing it in cold water and letting drain in a colander.

Mix the seasonings into the flour then spread seasoned flour onto a cookie sheet or large pan. Roll chicken pieces in seasoned flour to evenly coat.

Pour about an inch of oil in a cast-iron skillet on high heat. (Alma fries chicken the way my mom does — in an electric skillet rather than a stove-top skillet; neither one of them can explain to me exactly why, just as neither can explain why I can follow this recipe to a T, and it never turns out like theirs.)

Fry chicken in batches for about 30 minutes, or until juices run clear, and till it’s the desired level of crispyness.

If you’re cooking for gravy people, pour out excess oil and add some of that leftover seasoned flour (2-3 Tbsp.) to the chicken drippings to make a roux. Alma whisks away until the roux is brown and then adds a cup or two of water, stirring until it’s gravy-thick. My mom makes it the same way but uses milk instead of water and adds a splash of leftover coffee to give it a little color. (Don’t ask me — or her — how much.)