Fried chicken, chopped salad and cherry pie

In our honour of the Fourth of July celebrations Phil Vickery is rustling up some Stateside stables. He'll be preparing fried chicken, a chopped salad and some good old-fashioned cherry pie.

Whether you're one of the 180,000 US citizens resident in the UK or not, these 100% American recipes are guaranteed to delight and inspire in equal measure.

Catch up with the last week of This Morning on ITV Player

Phil's Southern fried chicken

Serves: 4 personsPreparation time: 25 minutesCooking time: 45 minutes in total

Ingredients

200mls buttermilk or natural yogourt8 medium chicken thighs, bone in and skin off2 tbsp dried oregano2 tbsp dried thyme1 tbsp cumin2 tsp ground white pepper1 tbsp salt225g plain flour4 medium eggs175ml cold waterSunflower or safflower oil, to fry

Method

• 2 hours before place the thighs in the buttermilk or yogourt, cover and chill well

• Preheat the oven to 220°C gas 6

• Place the oregano, thyme, pepper, flour and salt into a medium bowl and mix well

• Whisk the eggs together with the water

• Toss the chicken thighs into the flour and spice mixture to lightly dust, remove from the flour and place on one side

• Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, shake off any excess then put back into the flour mixture to coat - it’s best to do this stage one piece at a time, otherwise you’ll get very messy!

• Heat a pan of vegetable oil about 2cm deep to about 175°C, or when a piece of bread browns within 30 seconds when popped in

• Add 4 chicken thighs and fry for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown - the oil should only come just halfway up the sides of the chicken

• Place a wire rack onto a baking tray, then place the browned chicken on the wire rack

• Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

• Remove from the oven and allow to rest for about 20 minutes

• The smell will be really tempting, but try to resist because they’ll burn your mouth if you eat them straight away!

American-style chopped salad

Serves: 4 personsPreparation time: 20 minutesCooking time: None

Ingredients

½ large cucumber4 spring onions½ Iceberg lettuce2 large carrots, peeled4 tbsp chopped chives3 sticks celery6 radishes4 large, ripe tomatoes150g frozen peas defrosted and drained well1 x 400g can butterbeans, drained well

Dressing

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil3 tbsp safflower or sunflower oil4 tbsp red wine vinegar2 tbsp Dijon mustard1 level tsp castor sugarSaltPepper

Method

• Finely chop the cucumber, onions, iceberg, carrots, chives and celery

• Carefully chop the tomatoes and add, then add the peas

• Mix the above well in a bowl

• Meanwhile make the dressing by placing all the ingredients into a bowl and whisking together

• Pour over the chilled salad and really mix well

Cherry pie

Makes: 1 x 24cm x 4 cm piePreparation time: 30 minutesCooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 discs of sweet dessert pastry2 x 400g cans good quality black cherries, drained well2 heaped tbsp any brown sugar2 tbsp cornflour4 tbsp cold water1 medium eggGranulated sugar for sprinkling on top of the pie

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C, Gas 4

• Line the loose bottomed tart case with1disc of pastry, leaving a good overlap

• Place the cherries into a saucepan and add a little of the strained juice, add the sugar and mix well

• Heat and then thicken with a little of the cornflour and water, once thickened, cool for 15 minutes

• Pour into the lined tart, moisten the edges with a little beaten egg. Top with the second disc, seal the edges well. Cut off any excess pastry and crimp decoratively.

• Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sugar, make 3 small incisions in the top of the pie and place in the oven

• Cook for 30-40 minutes until the top of the pie is golden

• Remove from the oven and cool before eating. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream