This slogan is mostly associated with the 1928 presidential campaign of Herbert Hoover claiming that all would be prosperous under a Hoover administration. The ubiquitous chicken has a place in the history of all regional cultures in the US. I haven’t found any cuisine, except vegetarian, that doesn’t rely heavily on chicken. It’s versatility, accessibility and reasonable cost make it indispensable as a protein source. I read recently about the growing new “trend” of people raising chickens in their backyards. A growing new trend? The “trend” may be growing but there’s nothing new about it. I come from a long line of “raising chickens in your yard” kind of people.
Let me introduce you to my Great Aunt Mary Phillips who raised chickens, lots of chickens, in her backyard as long as she was physically able. She lived in the same little town as my grandparents. Her husband, Great Uncle Preston Phillips, went about the town to people he knew and asked if he could put up slop buckets to collect food scraps to feed his chickens. One of those buckets resided in the pecan tree just off the back porch of my grandparent’s house in the Cotton Mill Village. While my grandparents were frugal and didn’t believe in wasting food, small amounts of leftovers were sacrificed up for the chickens. Actually, it wasn’t a huge sacrifice because Granny would go over to Aunt Mary’s often to get chicken and eggs. As I grew older and tall enough to reach the slop bucket hanging in the tree, it became my job to take the food scraps from the kitchen to the slop bucket. As you can imagine, food spoils rather quickly in the heat of the deep south. The acrid smell of the bucket’s contents was a very distant second to the smell of the chicken yard itself. But, if you wanted chickens, that’s how you got them .The picture below is grainy and somewhat out of focus but it is an actual picture of Aunt Mary in the background chasing one of her chickens. Her parents, my great grandparents, are in the foreground.
The fate of the chicken is unknown. She may have been chasing the chicken just because it got out of the pen and she wanted to put it back. She may have been chasing the chicken because it was dinner time….for her, not the chicken. This whole process probably seems distasteful to some, for we have gotten far away from the self-sufficiency of our ancestors. Raising chickens and gardening wasn’t a hobby, it was survival. Before there were grocery store chains, you would have to take a trip into town to shop. That required you to have money, transportation and time. “Going to town” wasn’t a quick 10 minute trip for people in rural areas. It could sometimes take the whole day. Rolling stores became popular in the rural south as a way of providing e a means of trade to rural residents.
The Rolling Stores were stocked with pantry staples such as flour, coffee and sugar as well as hardware items such as hammer and nails for which you could pay cash or barter with goods in exchange for fresh produce or chickens. Some of the Rolling Stores built cages just to hold the chickens.
Roasted chicken is one of my favorite dishes with the wings being my preferred pieces. Considering the popularity of Buffalo Chicken Wings, I’m not alone. Depending on your geographic location, you either eat “wings” or “wangs”. Southern diction, oftentimes, recreates vowel sounds such as turning a short “i” sound, as in picture, to a long “a” sound, as in make. Wings become wangs, things become thangs and think becomes thank. While I try to be conscious of my diction and pronounce words as close to correct as my native tongue will allow, I embrace southern diction. I’ve heard it all my life and hope I continue to hear it until I take a dirt nap. The origin of the popular dish Buffalo Chicken Wings is far north of the Mason Dixon Line. The recipe has been credited to a Buffalo, NY mother looking for an economical way to feed her son and his hungry friends. That’s one smart Mama! But chicken, itself, has always been a staple in southern homes. Perhaps you’ve heard of the ever popular dish Fried Chicken. With the wangs being my favorite part of my Roasted Chicken, I decided to roast 3 pounds of chicken wangs using the same technique that I use to roast a whole chicken. I will be able to get my fill without roasting 20 chickens. If you want traditional wing sauce, melt 1/2 cup butter and add 1/4 to 1/2 cup Tabasco sauce to get the degree of heat you like. Pour the sauce over the chicken as soon as the chicken is completely cooked. I prefer to eat mine plain just like I do when I take a whole roasted chicken out of the oven, stand there and eat the wangs before the bird is carved. I think I may fix myself a plate and sit down to enjoy these wangs. This was a good decision on my part.
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If you’re just dying to watch a Syrup and Biscuits video, click here.
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Start with a big tomato ware bowl.
Ok, so it doesn’t have to be tomato ware bowl. But isn’t mine beautiful? I use it to mix up my dressing at Thanksgiving. My great-grandmother, in the picture above, had a bowl like this. Hers was smaller and she would keep fruit in it.
Wash and pat dry the chicken, coat with olive oil and sprinkle with 4:1:1 seasoning and dried Italian herbs. 4:1:1 seasoning is my blend of kosher salt, ground pepper and garlic powder in a 4:1:1 ratio.
Prepare two baking sheets by covering in aluminum foil and spraying with cooking spray. Place chicken on baking sheets being careful not to crowd. You want to roast, not steam, the chicken.
Place in a preheated 400 degree oven and roast for 40 to 50 minutes. Turn chicken over after first side is browned. Continue the cooking until the second side is browned and the skin is nice and crispy. This skin gets so crispy and delicious. The combination of using olive oil plus raising the cooking temp to 400 degrees makes the skin cook to a degree of crispness that is unbelievable but the flesh remains juicy. Continuing on with the tomato ware theme, here’s the finished product.
The apron was given to my by my sister, Kathy Anderson, who gave me the job of Cookie for her son’s chuck wagon themed wedding rehearsal dinner. My job was to bake biscuits and cobblers, ring the dinner bell and keep food on the chuck wagon.
Oven Roasted Chicken Wings
3 lbs chicken wings, separated and wing tips removed
Olive oil – 1 to 2 tbsp to coat the chicken
1 tbsp 4:1:1 seasoning
2 tsp. dried Italian herbs mix
Wash and pat chicken dry. Place in a large bowl, sprinkle olive oil, 4:1:1 seasoning and Italian herb mix over chicken. Toss to coat well. Divide chicken among two baking sheets that have been covered in aluminum foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Don’t crowd them in the pan. You want them to roast, not steam. Roast for about 40 to 50 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn the chicken over after it has browned well on one side and continue cooking until the second side is browned and the skin is crispy.
Mary Susan Vloedman says
I love it Jackie , It reminds me of my childhood to this day I remember my memie saying Susie gal you want fried chicken ? Yes Memmie , she would go to the backyard ring the chickens neck and get a kettle full of hot water , pluck the feathers and we would have fried chicken , she was a indian
Jackie Garvin says
Susan,
Thank you for your comments and your story. I have seen my little tiny grandmother pick up a chicken and ring it’s neck, too. She would take her shotgun to the back and shoot squirrels and doves for food, also. That’s the way it was done. But there is much to be said for that independent lifestyle versus the dependency so that cripples so many people today.
Karen Pearce says
Great historical story Jackie. I just love wangs.
Jackie Garvin says
Karen,
Thank you and I hope you try this wang recipe. Lip smackin’!!
Hillary says
It’s Johnny’s favorite part of the chicken too. I will have to surprise him with a plate of these!
Jackie Garvin says
Hillary,
These wangs will make you more of a Supastar than you already are. They are just that good! Let me know how Johnny likes them.
Billie says
“Dirt nap”….hadn’t heard that one before…
We didn’t have chickens but everyone else on my father’s side of the family did and one particular aunt who always seem to stay the same age (about 89) had a yard full of them and get this…poppies!
Think I’ll try me some wangs this weekend!
Jackie Garvin says
Billie,
I just heard that little euphemism myself from another one of my southern friends. I don’t know your aunt, but I love her! I hope you do try this wang recipe. These are so good!!!!
Amy Wren says
Your wangs look good enough to eat!
Jackie Garvin says
Lawd, chile! I’m telling you…these are the best wings I’ve ever had. They came out just like I wanted them to. They were so good that Daddy and I decided not to even try any kind of sauce with them. We ate every single one. I can’t even imagine how many pounds is would take to feed our whole family!
Janice Marra says
My siser and I were given two baby chicks for easter when we were kids.We raised them till they got to big for our backyard. We gave them to this old black man “Jim”that worked for my Grandfather.He promise he wouldn’t eat them.We visited him at his home a day and sure enough he did not eat them they were running free in and out his house.Thanks Jackie!Your making it easy to decide “What’s for Dinner”
Jackie Garvin says
Janice,
That’s not the first time I’ve heard of chickens as house pets! I hope the chickens, and Mr. Jim, lived a long happy life.
Brittany Grace says
Raising chickens takes real effort! I had a few Polish hens last spring, and they were at the root of several memorable adventures. Your family sounds like it really could have been related to mine. I’m not sure if anyone raised chickens, but dad and Aunt Cis had raccoons as indoor pets, and their mom, my Little Mama, had a pet deer (I know this for certain because I’ve seen old, grainy pictures).
Thanks for the insight…and cheers to preserving your southern dialect.
Jackie Garvin says
Britt,
What a charming story about your family’s pets. I can’t imagine having tame raccoons. They can be vicious! I would like to have yard chickens. That’s a future project. Hope you get the chance to try out the recipe for wangs!
Lori Tindall says
My youngest son (Grant) had 22 chickens he ordered thru FFA as chicks, raised ’em up, took to the fair and we gathered eggs for a long time. He couldn’t stand the thought of eating them, so after the Florida State Fair blue and red ribbons, we found them good homes. I would love to have some chickens in my yard. They were very entertaining and an excellent way to teach youngsters some responsibility! I’ll be makin’ these wangs this weekend!
Jackie Garvin says
Lori,
Twenty-two chickens are a lot! That’s impressive. I hope you enjoy the wangs this weekend.
Gail Davis says
Dear Jackie, you are such a breath of fresh air with your sweet stories! I remember similar stories from Mama and Daddy. So many memories… Now goin’ to turn that oven on, girl, you done made me hungry!
Jackie Garvin says
Gail,
Good food nurtures your body and your soul!
Danny Taylor says
Jackie, this is a good one. I remember the chickens well. I used to help grandmother with feeding, gathering eggs, catching them for neck ringing and the cleaning…it was not too bad except for the smell of the chickens when they came out of the boiling pot…for some reason that was an awful smell that I can smell in my mind to this day. I always went for the pulley bone and the wings when chicken was served as those were my favorites….haven’t seen a pulley bone in so many years that it’s a crime.
Keep the good works coming our way.
Jackie Garvin says
Danny,
I thought you would enjoy this one. Thanks for the sweet remarks.
Angia Snyder says
What memories! My grandmother and grandfather raised chickens. Sometimes I would stay at their home on Saturday night. On many a Sunday morning I would watch as grandma chased one of the chickens, caught it and wrung it’s neck. Grandpa and I would set off for church after the chicken’s feathers had been plucked and the chicken dunked in the boiling water (can’t remember which came first). We would return home after a loooong service to fried chicken or chicken and dumplin’s or baked chicken with stuffin’. What wonderful memories.
Jackie Garvin says
Angia,
I’m so happy that my writings helped you recall happy memories. That’s what my blog is all about! Please visit again.
Mike@The Culinary Lens says
I like the wings but love your story.. It reminds me that people who raise animals never name what they are going to eat. Strange thing is those chickens had a better life than the factory raised ones now.
Thank you for bringing these to my virtual picnic
Jackie Garvin says
Mike,
There are so many aspects of the food industry that are down right disturbing. People have gotten so far away from being self-reliant and mass commercialization has become the result. Thank you for reading the post and commenting. By the way, I left a comment on your wall about your photos which I think are stunning. I can’t imagine that Foodgawker hasn’t published some of them. What kind of feedback are you getting from them?
Sandra Davis says
I’m making this tonight with fettucine alfredo and a ceasar salad. Should be real good!
Jackie Garvin says
That sounds like a fine meal! 🙂
Diane Sacry-Rosencrantz says
What foods did you serve from the chuck wagon for rehearsal dinner? I have a wedding for my daughter coming up and this sounds right up her alley. We are roasting whole pigs and doing a pig picking’ for the wedding.
Jackie Garvin says
Most of the food was ordered from Sonny’s BBQ. We supplemented (we meaning me) with peach cobbler, biscuits and peach butter and strawberry butter. It was a lot of fun! Your plans sound perfect. 🙂
Carolyn Vigna says
Love that story! Sure brings back memories of mamma & grandma wringing the chickens neck. Can’t wait to try your Wang recipe!
Jackie Garvin says
I hope you like it, Carolyn!