Jo Dee's "Indoor-Outdoor Chicken | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's note: Please join me in welcoming Author Michele Rhem, who presents us with her poignant memoirs of the Rabbit Patch, where her diaries weave tales of a simpler, expressive life lost to many, but gathered together in her most familiar environs - the Rabbit Patch.

    Jo Dee is one of my dearest friends. She is dependable, trust-worthy and does not mind my flaws-She is also a good cook. Ever since, I bragged on her barbecue chicken, folks have asked for the recipe. I believe when you find something good, you ought to share it-and in that case, this chicken recipe should be shared. Everyone who has tried it, agrees that this is the best barbecue chicken, they know of. Thank goodness Jo Dee wrote her recipe down for a friend that we both love - so I can give the proper details on the preparation. Jo Dee used leg quarters.

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Salt chicken on both sides and place in a casserole dish. With great generosity, sprinkle lemon pepper and crushed red pepper over the chicken. Jo Dee drizzles worcestershire sauce over each piece, next. Use about a 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup vinegar and pour over the chicken. Bake an hour, then turn chicken over and bake another hour.

    The sauce will cook into the chicken and not "sit on it" as most sauces do. This chicken reminds me of the barbecue chicken from my childhood, when sauce did not come in a bottle. I remember eating my grandmothers' barbecue chicken at a yellow chrome kitchen table in a small farmhouse . This recipe brings back those fond memories, in the sixties, when all I had to do was come when they called me, to eat a good meal. Jo Dee did not cover her chicken, so neither did I. It turned out moist and is fit for Sunday Dinner or anytime you are having company. Remember, that any dish, when shared with loved ones, is always better .