Herb Fried Chicken

My husband's favorite birthday dinner is always herb fried chicken, a childhood favorite, and this year was no exception.  The chicken stays nice and moist and we only pan-fry the chicken and then finish it in the oven so it's not too greasy.  It sounds like a lot of work but it is actually very easy and a definite crowd pleaser.  

ingredients:

6 chicken breasts, pounded
eggs, start with 2 and add more as needed
¹⁄₂ cup beer
2 cups flour
¹⁄₂ cup oats
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¹⁄₄ cup parsley, finely chopped
6-8 sprigs fresh sage
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
5-6 fresh basil leaves
canola oil

Heat the oven to 425°F.  Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet and set aside. 

Combine, flour, oats, spices and herbs in a food processor.  Pulse until to mix and break up oats and herbs (you still want to see them).  Set aside.

Mix eggs and beer and place in a shallow dish.

In a deep sauté pan pour in the canola oil so that there is about 1 inch of oil.  Heat the oil on medium high heat until the oil is hot, about 325°F.

Dip the chicken pieces in the egg/beer batter and then dredge through the flour mixture.  Shake off any excess.  

Place the floured chicken pieces in the hot oil (make sure to leave space between them - you can fry in batches if neccessary) and pan fry until golden brown on the bottom (about 5-7 minutes).  Flip and fry on the other side until golden brown.  (you will need to adjust the heat as you go along so they don't start to burn).  Once both sides are golden place the chicken on the cooling rack/baking sheet and place them in the oven until cooked through.  The easiest way is to check with a meat thermometer (your thermometer should tell you what temperature your chicken should be at).

Serve immediately!

Serves 6

R's mom's versions of Herb Fried Chicken, adapted from, Lynn Alley's, "COOKING WITH FRESH HERBS"

BBQ Chicken Salad and BBQ Sauce

We make a lot of salads at our house.  We have one every night with dinner, but my favorite is our BBQ'd Chicken Salad with homemade BBQ sauce.  I know it's weird but I LOVE BBQ sauce!  I have made several different recipes, but lately I have been making one that comes from a Fine Cooking recipe for barbecued chicken.  

The salad is pretty versatile and you can add whatever vegetables you have.  Ours has different ingredients every time we make it.  And there really are no exact measurements - just put in the amount you want.  Remember less is more!  It's easy to add extras!

It's also great deconstructed for the kids.  L & M gobble this stuff up - especially when there is blue cheese involved.  (Yes, blue cheese and BBQ sauce make for an amazing combination.)

salad ingredients:
head of Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 bone-in breast barbecued chicken (or for the quick, easy version....rub the chicken breast with olive oil, salt, pepper and a bit of BBQ sauce.  Bake it in a 400°F oven until 165°F.  Let it cool and pull apart. Set aside.)
¹⁄₂ cup corn
¹⁄₂ - 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
black olives, chopped
green beans, briefly cooked or steamed
artichoke hearts, quartered
¹⁄₂ cup cooked quinoa
tomatoes (I like the strawberry sized ones)
avocado
cilantro
onion
blue cheese
salt and pepper to taste

dressing:
equal parts bbq sauce and olive oil
balsamic vinegar, to taste 
salt and pepper

bbq sauce:
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
¹⁄₂ cup cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. pure maple syrup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¹⁄₂ tsp. hot sauce, such as Tabasco
¹⁄₂ tsp. kosher salt
¹⁄₄ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

To make the sauce: in a medium saucepan, boil the apple juice and vinegar over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium low and add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

The bbq sauce can be made ahead and will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

To make the salad: Mix the dressing ingredients in small jar with a tight fitting lid.  Shake vigerously and set aside.  Toss all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add the dressing to taste and serve.

The salad may be made several hours in advance.  Simply keep out the tomatoes, avocados and dressing until you are ready to serve.

Serves 4

The barbecue sauce recipe is from Fine Cooking, June/July 2013.

Udon Chicken Noodle Soup

With L being in preschool our family has not gone longer than 4 weeks without someone having a cold.  With preschool ending soon I am hopeful that this will be our last round of colds until September.  However, I had this same thought a month ago and here we again eating our favorite "cure for the common cold" soup!  Go ahead and double the soup as you'll want to have leftovers!

Ingredients:

2-¹⁄₂ Tbs. canola oil
2 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about ³⁄₄ lb.), butterflied (cut horizontally almost all the way through and then opened like a book)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 medium shallots (about 4 oz.), peeled and thinly sliced into rings
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed, outer layers discarded, halved lengthwise, and smashed with the side of a chef’s knife
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. packed light brown sugar
5-¹⁄₂ cups lower-salt chicken broth
3-¹⁄₂ oz. crimini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered (1-¹⁄₂ cups)
9 oz. fresh, or dried, udon noodles
1 Thai bird chile (or 1 small serrano pepper), sliced into thin rings
8 large fresh torn basil leaves; plus sprigs for garnish
1 medium lime, half juiced and half cut into wedges
1 Tbs. soy sauce; more to taste
Garnish:
2 medium scallions, trimmed and sliced
1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
¹⁄₂ cup fresh cilantro leaves

Heat 1-¹⁄₂ Tbs. of the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Season the chicken with ¹⁄₂ tsp. each salt and pepper, and cook without disturbing until it’s browned and releases easily from the bottom of the pot, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is browned and almost firm to the touch (just short of cooked through), 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool.  If short on time you can make the soup while the chicken is cooking in the oven.

Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil and the shallots to the pot. Sprinkle with ¹⁄₄ tsp. salt, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the shallots start soften, about 2 minutes. Add the lemongrass, ginger, and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until the ginger and lemongrass sizzle and become fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and raise the heat to medium high. Bring the broth to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package directions.

Use your fingers or the tines of a fork to shred the chicken. Add the chicken to the broth and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Discard the lemongrass. Stir in the torn basil, lime juice, and soy sauce. Divide the noodles among 4 large, deep bowls. Ladle the soup over the noodles, and garnish with the basil sprigs and scallions, chile, carrot, and cilantro, if using. Serve with the lime wedges for squeezing and more soy sauce to taste.

*This soup is also a great for shredded, leftover roast chicken in place of the chicken breast. Just add it to the soup along with the chiles, basil, lime juice, and soy sauce.

Serves 4

Adapted from Fine Cooking 

Issue 104