Lemonade Fried Chicken

Serves 4 or 5

One of the all-time great chicken recipes was invented by Josie McCarthy, who had a regular cooking show in the 1950s on WRCA-TV in New York. Josie suggests that this syrupy sweet dish seems so much more difficult than it really is, and therefore makes a perfect entree if you want to impress your mother-in-law or the boss.

1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 cup water
1 2- to 2-1/2-pound chicken, cup up
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup oil
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix lemonade concentrate and water in small bowl. Pour over chicken in larger bowl. Refrigerate 2 hours or longer. Drain chicken and retain liquid.

Mix together flour, salt, and pepper in a small paper bag. Add well-drained chicken, one piece at a time. Grasp bag closed and shake to flour chicken evenly.

Heat oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add floured chicken; cook until evenly browned, turning pieces over carefully.

Remove chicken and arrange in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Brush chicken with melted butter. Add reserved lemonade.

Bake, uncovered, about 1 hour, basting chicken with lemonade from pan every fifteen minutes. About 15 minutes before chicken is done, drain off excess juice from pan.

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