Fried Chicken with Garlic Honey Sauce

It never fails, my pictures look great when I snap them but always seem to be blurry when I post them.  One day I will become a better photographer.

 Don't let the crumminess of the photo fool you though, this is a great dish. The breading has tons of flavor and the sauce is perfectly sweet.  My little vegetarian ate all of his chicken at dinner tonight and barely touched his vegetables.  Normally, things are the other way around.

I originally pinned this recipe from ilovetocook.org.  A few tips to keep in mind when you are frying: allow the breaded chicken to sit for a minute before putting it in the oil so the breading has time to "glue" itself to the meat.  Also, don't turn the chicken until you are absolutely ready.  Turn it only once to prevent the breading from falling off.  Lastly, make sure that the oil is sufficiently hot.  Drip some water into it and if it sizzles, it is ready but you don't want the oil to be smoking- that is too hot and will burn the breading long before the meat is cooked.  Also, if you feel that your chicken still isn't finished cooking but the breading is starting to burn, finish off the chicken in the oven.


Ingredients
4 breasts or thighs, pounded thin
2 c flour
3 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp sage
2 Tbs paprika
1 tsp cayenne (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 minced garlic cloves
1 c honey
1/4 c soy sauce

Directions
1. Make an egg wash by scrambling the eggs and milk.  Seperately, combine the flour, ginger, thyme, sage, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper.

2. Coat the chicken with the flour mixture. Dip into the egg wash, then recoat with the flour.  Set the chicken aside.

3. Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1/4-1/2 inch oil in the bottom.  When the oil is sufficiently hot, fry the chicken.  Only flip once!  Since the chicken has been pounded thin, the pieces shouldn't take more than 5 minutes per side to cook.

4. Drain chicken on a paper towel and set aside.

5. In a medium omelette pan, heat olive oil and garlic.  When the garlic is soft but not brown, add the honey and soy sauce.  Allow the sauce to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Do not step away- the sauce will bubble and potentially overflow from the pan.  When at the desired thickness, remove from heat and serve over chicken.

Grandma Schenk's Chicken Chicken Breast

My husband's grandmother was an extraordinary cook.  I was never lucky enough to eat her meals but I hear they were amazing.  They were always the first dishes to disappear at family reunions and the hardest to recreate.  Her meals were simple, made with readily found ingredients that she often grew herself.

Before Grandma passed away, her daughter's (in-law) had the good sense to pick her brain for her recipes. They presented each family with a cookbook that year at the family reunion. Some of the recipes are straightforward and some you can take liberties with.

This recipe is calls for using your imagination.  The book's instructions are to flour and fry your chicken, pour the gravy on top and bake for an hour.  The gravy ingredients are listed but not the flour mixture to fry with. I don't know what spices Grandma used (if any) or if she had any special techniques or secrets.  I have included what I used to bread the chicken. If you have a breading that you prefer, feel free to use that.  My husband said that he doesn't remember eating this at Grandma's but that my version is delicious.

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts or thighs, pounded thin

2 c flour

2 tsp ginger

2 tsp thyme

2 tsp sage

2 Tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne

salt and pepper to taste

4 eggs

1/2 c milk

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 c beer

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 can mushrooms

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, ginger, thyme, sage, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper.  In a separate bowl, scramble the eggs and milk. 

2. Dip the chicken into the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then back into the flour, making sure it is evenly coated each time. Set aside to allow the breading time to stick to the chicken.

3. Heat 1/2 inch oil in a skillet over medium heat.

4. Place the chicken in the oil and brown, about 4-5 minutes each side.  Don't worry about cooking all the way through. Drain and place in a baking dish.

5. In a bowl, mix the cream of chicken soups, soy sauce, and beer.  Pour over chicken.  Top with mushrooms.

6. Bake uncovered at 350 for 60 minutes.

Tex-Mex Squash Casserole

Squash casserole.  There aren't too many things more summer than fresh squash from the garden (grocery store), baked to perfection with tomatoes and cheese (and jalapenos in this case). If you have ever eaten at my home, you have most likely been served this wonderful dish.  It is a favorite of my family and I could eat it every day.  Every. Day.

This particular recipe comes from a cookbook titled The Homesick Texan.  I adore this cookbook! I have made a fair portion of the recipes located in its pages and have never once been disappointed.  The author grew up not too far from where I did and has included some amazing photos of my home state.  She lives now in a small apartment in New York City and has learned to make some of my favorite recipes like fajitas al carbon and brisket in a non-traditional way that still taste like home.

Anyways, I love this recipe.  You can use all squash, all zucchini, or any mixture of the two you wish.  It can get spicy quickly with 2 jalapenos and cayenne so adjust as needed. I only use 1 pepper since my toddler son hasn't developed a heat tolerance yet.  Also, I became distracted watching How I Met Your Mother while cooking so I forgot to take photos of the process. I apologize but the directions are straight forward and easy to follow. Let's get cooking!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter

2 pounds squash/zucchini

1 medium onion

2 jalapeno chiles, seeds and stems removed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp flour

1 c chicken broth

1 can fire roasted tomatoes (you can use regular but I think the fire roasted have better flavor)

1/2 c half-and-half

1/2 c sour cream

2 c crushed tortilla chips

2 c cheddar

Directions

1. Heat the butter in a LARGE pot on medium heat.  Add the squash, onions, and jalapenos, and saute until the vegetables are soft, around 10 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Simmer for a minute.

3. Stir in the flour and cook until a light brown paste forms.  Add the broth and tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes until the broth thickens.  Remove from heat and add the half-and-half and sour cream.

4. Layer the bottom of a large greased casserole dish with the chips and pour the squash mixture on top. Cover with cheese and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbling.

Bacon Crockpot Chicken

I love lazy Sundays.  Get the house work done on Saturday, or Friday night, and the rest of the weekend is spent lounging on the couch watching movies and moving as little as possible.

In an effort to make Sundays even lazier, I use my crockpot as often as I can.  I have even found a way to not have to wash it: crockpot liners by Reynolds.  They are handy things to have; they don't alter the flavor of the food, don't burn or melt, and rarely do they get a hole.  I think the holes usually come from me stirring too hard.

Tonight's dinner was perfect for a Sunday night.  The only effort I put into it was what little prep there was for the chicken and making the sides.  The meal was hearty, filling, and tasted fantastic!  My picky little eater at everything and asked for more. I generally cook for an army but tonight I only made three thighs (I don't care for breasts) so I could conserve my chicken for later meals.  That was a mistake. There are now no leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

The original recipe can be found at Moms with Crockpots. 

Ingredients:

8 bacon slices

8 boneless, skinless breasts or thighs

2 cans roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup

1 c sour cream

1/2 c flour

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Wrap the 1 slice of bacon around 1 piece of chicken and place in the crockpot.

2. Combine the soup, sour cream, and flour and whisk until well blended.  Pour over the chicken.

3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Remove the chicken and stir the gravy again to make sure it is blended. My chicken fell apart as I pulled it out so small chunks were left in the gravy.

4. Serve gravy over chicken and enjoy. Learn from my mistake and make the full recipe, not half!