The Rhonda Belle Martin Case
Southern Fried Chicken Dinner
“Southern hospitality with a lethal ingredient.”
The Case
Rhonda Belle Martin worked as a waitress in Montgomery, Alabama. Between 1937 and 1951, six people close to her died: her mother, two husbands and three of her children.
Each death was attributed to illness at the time. It was only in 1956, when a surviving husband became gravely ill and was left paralysed, that arsenic poisoning was identified.
Martin was convicted and executed in 1957. She was known among neighbours as a generous cook, and the food she served was the vehicle for the poison.
The Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 chicken pieces, bone-in
- 500ml buttermilk
- 300g plain flour
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 800g potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 100ml warm milk
- 60g butter
- 400g collard greens, stems removed and chopped
- 1 smoked ham hock or 100g bacon
- 30g plain flour and 300ml chicken stock, for the gravy
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- 01
Soak the chicken in buttermilk with 1 tsp salt for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- 02
Simmer the collard greens with the ham hock in salted water for 45 minutes until meltingly tender. Keep warm.
- 03
Boil the potatoes until tender, drain well, then mash with the warm milk and butter. Season generously and keep warm.
- 04
Season the flour with paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Dredge the drained chicken heavily and rest for 10 minutes.
- 05
Fry in 2cm of oil over medium heat, about 12 minutes per side, until deep golden and cooked through. Drain on a rack.
- 06
Pour off all but 2 tbsp of the frying fat, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the stock and simmer until thickened. Season.
- 07
Serve the chicken with mashed potato, greens and gravy, with cornbread alongside.
Chef’s Note
Keep the oil steady around 160°C. Too hot and the crust colours long before the bone-in pieces are cooked through.
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