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There are not many other dishes like fried chicken that scream home cooked deliciousness. There is just something about the light flaky texture and rich taste that makes your mouth water. The best part is whipping up a good helping of fried chicken is not too difficult either.

The whole process includes a fair amount of ingredients, but nothing too difficult to find, or that you could not find at your local grocery store. It is a recipe that does not require a mixer, so save that for your mashed potatoes (which of course are the perfect side for fried chicken).

The ingredients are simple. They are: one half cup of kosher salt (do not use salt for brining); two quarts of cold water; one three-pound chicken, cut into eight pieces; one quart of buttermilk, one pound of lard, one half cup (one stick) of unsalted butter, one half cup of country ham pieces, or one thick slice of country ham cut into half-inch strips.

You are also going to need one cup of all-purpose flour, two tablespoons of cornstarch, one teaspoon of salt, and one half teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. As, mentioned, all the ingredient are fairly simple to obtain.

To make the brine, stir kosher salt into cold water until it is dissolved. Place the chicken parts in a nonreactive bowl or pot; add enough brine to cover completely, and refrigerate for eight to twelve hours.

Drain the brined chicken and make sure to rinse out the bowl it was brined in. Put the chicken back into the bowl, and pour the buttermilk all over. Cover the chicken again, and refrigerate for another eight to twelve hours and drain the chicken on a wire rack, discarding the buttermilk.

In the meanwhile, prepare the fat for frying by putting the lard, butter, and country ham into a heavy skillet or frying pan. Cook over a low heat for thirty to forty minutes, skimming as needed, until the butter stops foaming the ham is browned and use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the ham from the fat.

Before frying, make sure to increase the temperature to medium-high and heat to three-hundred thirty-five degrees. Ready the dredge by blending together the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl (you can also use wax paper).

Dredge the drained chicken pieces completely and thoroughly in the mixture, and then make sure to pat well to remove excess mixture. At this point the chicken is ready to be fried.

Use tongs to slip some of the chicken pieces skin side down into the heat fat. Make as well to not overcrowd the pan as the fat will cool. Regulate the fat so that is just bubbles, and cook for eight to ten minutes on each side, or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked thoroughly.

Drain the chicken on a wire rack or on crumpled paper towels, and serve. The chicken is best served hot, warm, at room temperature, or cold.

It is fairly easy to make and a delicious dinner for those who love fried chicken, which may just be everyone. Make sure as well to break out that mixer and whip up some mashed potatoes and gravy, you could even use some of that extra ham. Enjoy your delicious fried chicken!