18th-Century Fried Chicken Stands Up to Today's Best

I love a good road trip, so I decided to take the RV on a long journey up the east coast from Florida to New England, sampling small-town America along the way.    

My trips long ago abandoned the monotony of the interstates in favor of the less-traveled back roads, which take you into the lives of the people who live along them. The diversity of different areas of the country and the towns and people living in them are what make our country so unique.  

We traveled up the coast, stopping at some wonderful mom-and-pop restaurants and diners along the way and sampling the home cooking from Florida up to Virginia, where we had our first pre-arranged stop at Michie Tavern.  

Michie Tavern was built in 1784 far off in the woods outside of Monticello, VA. Later, the tavern was dismantled piece by piece and reassembled closer to town. 

Connie Conte, one of the owners of the Michie Tavern, greeted us and quickly made sure we got a great lunch. She led us into the "Ordinary." This is a very old English word for tavern. The small buffet line was stocked with foods that would have been served at the tavern in the 18th century, including:

• Colonial Fried Chicken
• Virginia Baked Chicken
• Pulled Pork Barbecue
• Corn Bread
• Biscuits
• Black-Eyed Peas
• Green Beans
• Stewed Tomatoes
• Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
• Southern Beets
• Cole Slaw
• Garden Vegetable Soup
• Crispy Peach Cobbler
• Old Fashioned Ice Cream Sandwiches

I was surprised to see the pulled pork, but I was told that it was a very common dish in the 18th century. My favorite was the fried chicken, which could have very well held its own against some of the fried chicken I've tried throughout the South over the years.

The next time you want a great chicken dinner, try this 18th-century version and enjoy! Or check out Gulfport restaurants that serve friend chicken.

Colonial Fried Chicken  

Serves 6

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 to 3 pound cut-up fryer chicken
• 3 cups shortening   

Combine flour and seasonings. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture. In a deep, heavy fry pan or electric fryer, fry chicken in 350-degree shortening for 12 to 15 minutes on each side, or until cooked through with no pink left.

Chef's tip: The original recipe would have called for lard, but that has been replaced with shortening for today's cook.