Kitchen restocked-New recipe is discovered

 End of the month tends to be very thin and sparse for cooking unusual or involved things. We have restocked the kitchen but not to the fullest it could be due to different choices at the stores. Just a note, I shop at Food 4 Less which is a subdivision/western version of Kroger/Safeway. Their dozen eggs are now $7.50, 18 count is $11 and change. This is not due to politics or governments it is due to an outbreak of the H1N1 Bird Flu. It will get better hopefully.

But on to the new recipe!

I was looking for something different to do with the chicken breasts because that was what we had left in the freezer other than a pound of hamburger. I got the inspiration to see what was involved with making a fried chicken sandwich. Well, there were two choices for the majority of pins I saw. Copycat 'Popeye's' or copycat 'Chik-fil-A'. I went with something in between which is just a simple fried chicken sandwich and let me tell you.... it is delicious!

The recipe calls for 3 chicken breasts pounded thin and cut in half. I have two and nothing to pound them thin so I cut them in half crosswise and then sliced them parallel to the cutting board so they were thin enough for a sandwich. This gave me roughly 8 pieces with four being big enough for sandwiches. The first batch were missing key things, namely, lettuce, tomato and pickles. Still missing the pickles but that will have to wait until next time.

"Crispy Chicken Sandwiches"

(from Natasha's Kitchen)

 

Marinade:

 

2 or 3 skinless boneless chicken breasts. sliced into thin cutlets and/or pounded thin for sandwiches

1 1/2 c low fat buttermilk (I only had half and half on hand and only used 1 c

1 tbsp hot sauce (I didn't use this)

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1tsp garlic powder

(In place of those four spices I used 2 tbsp of rotisserie seasoning

 

Coating:

1-1 1/2 cups AP flour

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp onion powder

 

Other: your preferred oil for deep frying, I use Canola. 

Dutch oven or other deep sturdy soup pot. You'll need about an inch depth of oil.

 

What you do with how you want to make sandwiches is up to you. Suggestions include:

 

Mayonnaise

Ranch Dressing

Guacamole

Lettuce

Tomato

Onions (red or yellow)

Dill pickle slices

Sliced cheese

 

We used brioche buns because that was what looked good. Brioche are softer and a bit sweeter than standard hamburger buns. If I did it again I would use some deli style hamburger buns, something with a bit more texture to them.

 

Instructions/assembly:

 

Pound chicken breasts or slice thinly to about 1/2 inch thickness. The more even the better they will cook. Chicken swells when it cooks so the thinner the better. Mix the marinade in a large ziplock bag and drop in chicken pieces, close tight and massage everything so they get thoroughly coated. Place flat on a plate making sure the cutlets are coated well and refrigerate for 2-4 hours or overnight.

In a bowl or dish whisk together the dry coating ingredients. If you are making a smaller batch I suggest only 1 cup of flour and half of the spices but keep the baking powder the same.

Heat oil in pot to 300-325 (I don't have a thermometer for doing that) or it shimmers. When you dribble flour into the oil and it bubbles immediately, it's ready. 

 

 While oil is heating, pull out the chicken one at a time and using tongs or a fork, dangle it in the bag to let it drain a bit then dredge in the flour mixture, patting to coat well. Place on a rack for them to rest and absorb the flour. When they are all dredged and oil is ready, dredge them again, patting to get them coated well and drop no more than two or three (depending on the size of your pot, I could only do two at a time) in the oil. (Apparently they think an inch of oil is just like frying and tells you to flip them over.) I must have had deeper oil) cook for 3-5 minutes or until they are golden brown on one side, flip them over and cook 2-3 minutes or they are a golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a draining rack over paper towels.

 

 (Picture is leftover pieces from the first meal. We had enough pieces to do two sandwiches each for two different meals.)

 

Assembly:

Toast the buns..either in toaster oven or toaster is ideal, I buttered the first ones and then used mayo. Added some guacamole, ranch dressing, lettuce, tomato and onion. Whatever you do, it's going to be delicious! (Definitely recommend a sturdy bun!)

 

We had potato salad to go with it the second night. I placed the leftover chicken on a baking rack and cooked for about fifteen or twenty minutes on 350 to heat them through and get the coating less soggy.

Definitely a do again for us. It's filling, delicious and a wonderful summer recipe that doesn't heat up the kitchen too badly. 

So amazed at how delicious this was I'm going to do that treatment for my chicken fingers next time.  I don't usually have anything other than whole milk in the fridge so it certainly makes a difference in the flavor!

Enjoy!