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Green Parrot Inn Fried Chicken

Re: Green Parrot Inn fried chicken From: Robert Date: 11/26/2021, 9:46 AM To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com On 11/26/2021 7:30 AM, Robert wrote: When I was a kid a family treat was to go to the Green Parrot Inn in Kansas City. The fried chicken was great. Could you possibly find a recipe for it? Many thanks - Robert

Hello Robert,

This was not too difficult to find. There is a recipe on the website "Vintage Kansas City".

I have also posted it below.

The first Green Parrot was opened by Tena May Dowd in Wichita, Kansas in 1925. Subsequent Green Parrots were opened in Kansas City, Kirkwood, and Houston Texas. Tena actually had a pet green parrot whose home was a cage in her Kirkwood restaurant. I don't have the book, but there exists a book of Tena May's recipes called "Famous Green Parrot Recipes". It is available from Amazon for a price.

The recipe isn't kidding about the lard and aluminum skillet. If you try to use a cast-iron skillet or shortening or vegetable oil, the end result while it may be tasty, won't be quite the same. Also, I'm not sure what is meant by "dredge each piece well with salt and pepper, roll in flour..."  I think it would be more correct to say "season each piece well with salt and pepper and dredge(or roll) in flour..."  The phrase "dredging each piece well with salt and pepper," gives me a mental picture of pieces of chicken thickly coated with salt & pepper as they are usually coated with flour. I don't think that would be very appetizing. Another thing - it seems a bit clumsy to me to drain the grease off of the skillet with the chicken still in it. Be careful doing that.

Phaed

Green Parrot Fried Chicken

For Green Parrot fried chicken you should have a chicken which weighs about 
two pounds after it is dressed and cut up.  You will also need a heavy, cast 
aluminum skillet - not an iron skillet, but an aluminum skillet.

Fill the skillet about one-third full of pure lard, and let it heat just to a "sizzle".  
Have your chicken cut up, and ice cold.  Dredge each piece well with salt and 
pepper, roll in flour, and place in the skillet. Do not crowd the pieces. Cover 
the skillet tightly, turn the fire as high as you can, and cook for ten minutes.  
At the end of ten minutes, look at the chicken, and if each piece looks brown 
around the edge, turn quickly and recover the skillet, and cook to a golden 
brown.

Do not take each piece of chicken out of the skillet when it is browned, but 
pick up the skillet and drain the grease off before you take up the chicken.  
This will keep your chicken from being greasy.

Chicken may be kept hot in a very slow oven while gravy is made from the 
chicken fryings, but it should not be covered tightly enough to cause it to 
steam, as this will make the crust soft and spongy.  Green Parrot fried 
chicken is always a golden brown, and tender, yet crisp.

Do not substitute vegetable shortening for the pure lard, and be sure your 
skillet is at least one-third full of lard before you start to cook your chicken.