Chicken is a staple on Amish menus and, for that matter, on the menus of almost all the Plain cultures: Amish, Mennonite, Brethren, Hutterite and Shakers (who are not religiously connected to the aforementioned groups, but do share some culinary and craftsmanship traits in common). Chicken is popular because it's plentiful, versatile, and sometimes perceived as healthier than ground beef or pork but, I think, the jury is still out on that. But these Amish Farmhouse Chicken recipes will make you happy!
These are some wonderfully diverse, flavorful, and easy recipes for chicken from Amish and Shaker kitchens. The oven-fried chicken with gravy recipe comes to us from an Amish woman in Vanceburg, Kentucky and is quite intriguing. There are also a couple of recipes in this mix that come from the rich tradition of Shaker culinary culture. You'd have free-range, plump chickens cavorting around a typical Shaker colony and that would result in a succulent, juicy bird. So if you try to replicate these recipes at home, try to use the highest quality poultry. Frozen Tyson will work, but you won't get the full effect. Enjoy these Amish farmhouse chicken recipes!
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🍗 Shaker Grilled Chicken
Shaker Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 /2 cup cider vinegar
- 1 /4 cup oil
- 3 /4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 /4 cup shallot sub in a sweet onion if no shallots
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 lbs skinless chicken thighs trimmed of fat
Instructions
- Whisk together vinegar, oil, and salt.
- Stir in garlic and shallots
- Place chicken pieces in a zip top bag and pour in marinade.
- Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to 3 hours.
- Preheat the grill. Place the chicken on the grill and cook 6-8 minutes per side or until done.
I had the opportunity to visit the last remaining Shaker colony, Sabbathday Lake Maine. I spent some time with Brother Arnold, the youngest member of the colony. I would love to have had a chance to root through the recipes in their kitchen, probably passed down and perfected through generations. He didn’t let me do that. But many of the best Shaker recipes have survived in cookbooks and collections. This fried chicken recipe is one of them.
Shaker cooking has more elegance to it than Amish cooking, I think. But it is simple. Simple with delicious seasonings being the hallmark.
🍗 Shaker Fried Chicken
Shaker Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 spring chickens quartered
- 3 tablespoons soft butter
- 1 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh marjoram ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ¼ cup flour
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons lard
- 1 cup light cream
Instructions
- Wash chickens well and quarter.
- Rub thoroughly with soft butter and sprinkle generously with parsley and marjoram.
- Let stand at room temperature for one hour.
- Then roll in flour to which salt and pepper have been added.
- Heat heavy skillet, add butter and lard combined.
- Cook chicken on all sides until golden brown.
- Pour cream over it and let simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Serves 6.
Honey is a go-to item for many Amish cooks. Often, honey and maple syrup are used interchangeably with sugar in recipes. And when it comes to frying chicken, honey gives it a nice color and a deep, rich, flavor. There are many Amish who are also beekeepers, so they can just go out to their hive and get a scoop of honey.
🍗 Honey Fried Chicken
Honey Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 4 pound whole chicken, cut into pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 packet chicken bouillon granules•
- 2 cups all-purpose flour•
- 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then coat each seasoned chicken piece with honey.
- In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the garlic powder, chicken bouillon granules and flour.
- Dredge honey coated chicken pieces in flour mixture, coating completely.
- Fill a large, heavy skillet with oil to a depth of one inch. Heat over medium-high heat.
- Fry chicken for at least 5 minutes per side, until no longer pink and juices run clear.
The gravy is the star of this recipe. The pan drippings, some flour, and a few other seasonings are all you need to make a super supper.
🍗 Amish Fried Chicken w/ Gravy
Amish Oven-Fried Chicken w/ Gravy
Ingredients
Chicken
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon marjoram dried
- 8 - 9 chicken pieces - legs thighs, breasts
Cream Gravy
- ¼ cup pan drippings
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place oil and butter in a shallow cooking pan (such as a jelly roll pan) and put in a 375 degree oven to melt.
- Remove from oven
- In a large paper sack or bowl combine flour and seasonings.
- Roll a few pieces of chicken in oil and butter mixture, then shake them in sack to cover or roll in mixture in bowl.
- Place chicken in pan with remaining oil butter mixture skin side down.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Turn it over and bake 5 - 10 minutes longer -until top crust begins to bubble.
For Gravy
- Blend ¼ cup drippings from pan and flour in skillet over medium heat.
- Gradually stir in milk and cook, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and thickened.
- Stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Molasses, like honey and maple syrup, is another common item in an Amish kitchen. Molasses can also be used interchangeably with sugar in many recipes, but for this chicken the molasses gives a rich, dark color and the flavor is amazing.
🍗 Molasses Baked Chicken
Molasses Baked Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 chicken 3 ½ lbs. cut up
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¾ teaspoon of black pepper fresh ground makes a difference
- 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of dark molasses
- 2 tablespoons of spicy brown mustard
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- Combine vinegar, molasses and mustard.
- Coat chicken with this mixture rubbing into skin and meat.
- Place chicken in large greased roasting pan.
- Place on the lower shelf of the oven and roast 20 minutes.
- Turn the chicken over and bake until the skin is golden
Juls Owings
We are lucky , Hubby does hauling for the Amish and most have told him if we need any meat to let them know.
Kevin
Excellent! Locally sourced and butchered beef is so much better anyway!