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I have long been on a search for the perfect Fried Chicken recipe. One that combines my love for easy, simple recipes, comfort food and of course, all things spicy. I think I have finally found it. This recipe I must admit comes from three different sources. One is an old recipe that my dad used to make that used tomato sauce to coat the chicken and give it a tangy flavor. That recipe goes back at least 40 years. Who knows where he got it from. Second is the simplest recipe I could find on the internet for fried chicken that had the fewest steps and third is my own addition of spice to the recipe to make it truly unique. In the end this is a recipe that could only be found in my own kitchen until now. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

INGREDIENTS
* 1 cup shortening (I like the Sticks since they are pre measured)
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon ground black pepper
*1 (2 to 3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
* Enough Picante Sauce in a Ziploc Bag to shake and cover your chicken pieces

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the shortening in a large, cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. (A little plug for Lodge Cast Iron Skillets here. I consider the Lodge Cast Iron I have purchased to be one of the best investments I have made for my kitchen. I will let the 124 reviews with an average of almost 5 stars do the rest of the selling.)
2. In a gallon or quart sized Ziploc Storage Bag coat with your desired Picante Sauce. (If you do not want this recipe to be spicy at all then substitute tomato sauce.)
3. In another Ziploc bag combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Shake two chicken pieces in the bag to coat, and place them in the skillet. Repeat until all of the chicken is coated and in the skillet.
4. Fry the chicken over medium-high heat until all of the pieces have been browned on both sides. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 25 minutes. Remove the lid, and increase heat to medium-high. Continue frying until chicken pieces are a deep golden brown, and the juices run clear.
Enjoy!

Hey Fresh fans,

I am Phillip (aka Chili Philly) the resident Hot and Spicy Food Tester here at AmazonFresh. As the title might suggest I am kind of obsessed with hot and spicy food. Actually addicted might be a more accurate description. Therefore my posts here on the Blog are going to walk more on the wild side. I wanted my inaugural post to be less about the products I love and more why I love all things hot. Beyond the obvious tastiness of spicy food there are many other benefits that you Fresh fans might not be aware of so I thought I would start out by listing them for you.

*Peppers and other spices are a low calorie way to add taste that has been shown to boost metabolism, help with weight loss and the lowering of blood pressure.

*Spicy food helps the body absorb blood clots and can lead to increased heart health.

*Spicy food gets a bad rap for causing heart burn. Studies have shown that a consistent spicy food intake actually increases stomach secretions that protect the stomach and aids in digestion. The key is to not do it all in one sitting.

*After eating spicy food you can expect improved sleep patterns with a more relaxed and uninterrupted night.

*Spicy food can help with cold and flu recovery by easing the discomfort of cold and flu symptoms and clearing nasal passages. (Mix some hot sauce in with that chicken soup.)

*Last but not least are the anti-oxidant and cancer fighting properties that are found in many spicy foods.

The source of many of these benefits is the fact that spicy foods cause the body to release endorphins. The hotter the pepper the more endorphins the body releases to cope with the heat. Endorphins are the same reason that acupuncture, massage and meditation have health benefits. Endorphins cause a euphoric feeling and are the source of a runners high. If you are already a big fan of spicy food you may have noticed that you enjoy a beer or margarita much more with hot and spicy food. This is no accident. It is the endorphins and the alcohol combining to increase your enjoyment. It is also no accident that if you love spicy food you really start to crave them after a really hard workout. Try your favorite spicy dish and a beer after your weekend run or bike ride and you will be on cloud nine.

I have not included links to all the studies as evidence for all of this. A quick internet search on health benefits of spicy foods will lead you to them but this article has a lot of the ones I mentioned above.

Ok enough with all of the reasons for loving spicy food and down to giving you something to try for your first time out. Since this may be your first spin around the block we are putting on the training wheels here. I want to make this first recipe so easy that work is not a barrier to joining me in my love of spicy food. This is probably as easy as it gets but that does not mean it will not do wonders for the taste buds (and endorphins).

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

Cocktail Sauce combined with your favorite fresh salsa in equal quantities in a shallow bowl. I suggest
Charlies. Choose a hotter salsa rather than mild since the cocktail sauce already cuts down on the bite.
Place cooked shrimp around the edges of the bowl and garnish with cut lemons or limes.

I said it was easy. Enjoy! We will try something harder (and possibly hotter) next time.