Picnic Fried Chicken

2 (2-pound) whole chickens, cut up

2 cups milk

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons black ground pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons of dried parsley

3 cups shortening such as Crisco

Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry, and set aside.

Whisk together milk and egg in a bowl. Combine flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and pepper, paprika and parsley in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag.

Dip 2 chicken pieces in milk mixture. Place in plastic bag; seal and shake to coat. Remove chicken; repeat procedure with

remaining pieces.

Melt shortening in a Dutch oven or a deep fryer over medium heat; heat to 350|0xb0|. If you have neither type of fryer a large frying pan with deep sides will work. Fry chicken, in batches, 10 minutes on each side or until done and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Do not rush the cooking time and keep the heat constantly medium to avoid splatters.

It is best to cook fried chicken in the morning or early evening during warm weather.

(Optional)Sprinkle evenly with 2 teaspoons seasoning salt.Yield: 6 servings.

Prep: 20 minutes, Cook: 20 minutes per batch.

You may wish to cook extra if your windows are open as the smell attracts curiously hungry neighbours.