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OK, folks, this is how my grandmother in Travelers Rest, KY taught my Cincinnati city girl mom how to make fried chicken. At sports banquets in high school people used to say "Oh look! Mrs. *** brought her fried chicken!" It was typically gone in under five minutes.

First, brine the cut up chicken pieces for about an hour in cold salt water (I use Kosher salt). Then add black pepper and about a teaspoon of sage to two cups all purpose flour and sift. Put the drained brined chicken into a gallon size zip lock bag (or a large bowl) and thoroughly coat the chicken in the flour mix. Let set for a few minutes and just before adding to the hot oil or lard (the best!), in a cast iron skillet if possible, roll in more flour.

Add the pieces to the hot oil and fry till golden brown on one side. Turn the pieces and cook till they're browned on the other and then remove to a paper towel covered platter. Turn off the flame and drain all but a bit of the grease into a glass bowl (I do it through a strainer and save the oil to use again). Turn the heat back on low and place the browned chicken back in, skin side up, add a couple tablespoons of water, cover and allow to steam to five to ten minutes.

The result is fully cooked, tender, juicy fried chicken with about the same breading texture as KFC original recipe but without the pressure cooker infused grease. If you prefer crispy skip the steaming.