Today is National Fried Chicken Day! Now, I don't know who thought of such a brilliant holiday, but they're 100% correct. Fried chicken sounds wonderful for dinner tonight.

Now, Colonel Harland Sanders tapped into a brilliant psychological marketing plan when he named his famous restaurant. Appalachian grandmothers have been putting amazing fried chicken on the table for as long as anyone remember, so of course Kentucky Fried Chicken is something we'd all love.

Now I've never had a lot of success re-creating my granny's signature recipe. It looks so easy; you just dredge the chicken pieces in flour and fry in a skillet. No matter how hard I try, the breading winds up coming off. I have the skillet temperature down pat, and I make a tasty breading. It just doesn't stick. My own fried chicken recipe is fairly simple. I let the pieces soak in buttermilk for half an hour or so. I prepare a mixture of flour, salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a little cayenne pepper. I dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, then deep-fry it in vegetable oil in a dutch oven. This process is quick and ensures a moist, perfect piece.

My recipe is below. Do you make your own fried chicken or do you entrust someone else with that job? (My granny, The Colonel, and The Merrick Inn make my all-time favorites!)

HerKentucky Fried Chicken