Cornmeal Chicken

I used to travel quite often to work-related conferences (not so much anymore which leaves me quite a bit more time for cooking), and I'd gotten in the habit of collecting local/regional cookbooks of every area I visited. I think this started when I went to Worldcon in Glasgow in 1995. This particular recipe is from Drop Dumplin's and Pan-Fried Memories. If I remember correctly, I picked this one up while attending the Heartland Writers' Conference in Missouri; confirmed by the inclusion of the recipe for Lambert's famous Throwed Rolls -- yes, they really do toss them at you across the room, and they are hot! This was also the conference where I first met Laurell K. Hamilton and Jim Butcher. In any case, last night, per request, I made yet another version of fried chicken... This time around I made it with homemade cornbread - something I think I've only made once before. It was tasty, but perhaps not quite as moist as I wanted so I guess I'll have to try a different recipe than the one I got from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Crunchy Cornmeal Battered Chicken

1 cup white cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup milk

1 cut-up chicken (2 1/2 to 3 pounds)

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Dip chicken pieces in milk, then roll in cornmeal mixture until well-coated. Let stand 10 minutes to dry. Heat approximately one inch of oil in skillet to medium high. Brown quickly on all sides. Reduce heat and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain on absorbent paper and serve. (4 servings)