Put cut-up chicken on a platter. Sprinkle with garlic salt (or salt) and pepper. Turn the chicken over and repeat. In medium mixing bowl or pan, put two cups of flour. Roll chicken one piece at a time in the flour. Save any leftover flour for gravy. Put cooking oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Heat oil until very hot. Test the oil by touching part of a piece of floured chicken to the oil. When it sizzles, it is hot enough. To wait until the oil is very hot is very important so that the chicken will sear and hold in its natural juices. Place floured chicken in skillet and cover. When chicken is brown, blood will show on topside of chicken. Using tongs turn the chicken to the other side and brown. Do not stick a fork in the chicken to turn it because piercing the chicken will cause it to lose its natural juices. When both sides are brown, drain most of the oil off the chicken. Save the oil for use later in making gravy. Reduce the heat, cover and cook 30-40 minutes. When the chicken is tender you can test by moving around with tongs. It will almost fall of the bone. Be careful when moving chicken not to let any skin stuck to the bottom of the pan come off the chicken pieces.
Make fried chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner one night. Next day make potato salad from the cold mashed potatoes and serve with cold fried chicken. Makes a great picnic.
Add saved oil to the skillet where the chicken was cooked to make 7 tablespoons. Leave browned crusts from chicken in the skillet. When the skillet is very hot, slowly add flour stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper. Stir until brown. Then add milk stirring constantly until thick. As the gravy is stirred, loosen any stuck particles on the bottom of the skillet. These make the gravy especially delicious.
© 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003 Portia Isaacson Bass and Veta Leigh. All rights reserved.