Recipe: Fried Chicken Tenders with Oven Fries

I love chicken tenders. They cook quickly, they are delicious and usually lean. Unless you fry them.

Then they are just out of this world!

Ingredients for fried chicken:
16-20 breast tenders

Breading:
1 cup flour
1 cup almond meal
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon turmeric (or less, beautiful color and flavor)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Dash cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Dredge:
1/2 cup half and half
1 egg
Salt ad pepper to taste

Frying:
1 cast iron skillet
Peanut oil

Heat your skillet in medium heat, filling the pan with about 1/2 inch to 1 inch of peanut oil.

Whisk your dry ingredients together in a pie plate. Whisk the wet ingredients together. Coat the tenders in the half and half and milk mixer and with tongs*, dip into the flour mixture.

When the oil is hot (you can drop a bit of the flour mixture in to see if it sizzles), drop in 4-5 dipped and coated tenders.

Cook for 8 minutes on one side, then 5 minutes of so on the other. Pull out with tongs when it's golden brown and smells to die for. Lay out on a wire rack over a paper towel lined baking sheet.

Sample as needed. Repeat until you have fried up all your tenders.

This crust is light and crunchy with the perfect amount of seasoning. The tenders are moist inside, and the fried crust makes a delectable crispy shell around the chicken. I think the almond meal really contributes to the crunchy exterior. Yummy!



Oven fries:
3-4 Yukon gold potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed and minced.
Special Shit Seasoning* or seasonings o taste of salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne

Cut potatoes into strip, leaving skin on or peeling it off. Your preference. Mince garlic. Lay out on a foil lined baking sheet. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle seasoning. Mix with hands to evenly coat, then lay potato strips out in an even layer. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes depending how hot your oven gets. Remove, and enjoy.


Sweet and Spicey dip
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon Siracha
1/2 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup)

Thyme
Ground black Pepper
Dash of Tabasco/cayenne pepper sauce

Combine ingredients in a bowl. Dip fries or chicken into.

*frying is so much easier if you have 2-3 tongs for each statin (dipping, dredging, and frying removal).
**Special Shit is a seasoning by Big Cock Ranch, that is good on everything.

Recipe: Sausage, kale & white bean soup

The weather here has been very gloomy with either high fog days, foggy days, or rainy days.

My usual lunch is a salad heavy on the veggies, but it's hard eating a cold lunch when the weather is doom and gloom.

This soup is as much of a staple in my home as chicken noodle is... And chili; i make a mean chili. The sausage makes it rich without being heavy, and the white beans can be substituted with lentils, or potatoes. Kale is the final healthy touch.

1 lb mild Italian sausage
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried opal basil **
3-4 cups chicken stock
2 cup white beans (white kidney, butter beans OR potatoes, or red/green lentils)
1 bunch of kale chopped
Kosher salt and pepper to taste.
parmesan or smoked Gouda optional **

Brown the sausage in a stock pot. Add diced onion and minced garlic and cook until transparent. Add beans (or lentils, or potatoes) and cook a few minutes.

Add herbs and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until the starchy vegetable is cooked through.

Add Kale and cook 5-10 minutes until kale is softened and cooked through.

Serve. Makes 4 servings, top with shredded cheese or enjoy the deliciousity on its own.


**my family grows opal basil through the summer and dries it so we have a years supply (for winter soups AND Armenian recipes). You can use any basil. I just prefer opal!

** parmesan is my usual soup topper but I had left over smoked Gouda from a vino evening and wanted to use it up. It was DELICIOUS. #win #soupwin