Saturday, January 29, 2011

fried chicken comfort dinner


I bought chicken at Safeway last week for a mere $1.88 a lb and really filled the freezer.  This got me to thinking that I had not made homemade fried chicken in years--what better January comfort food?  I paired it with a new salad favorite (and sooo easy), baked potato salad.  I even had my Mom raving about this one.

First, for the chicken, I wanted to make the least mess possible (and it was still bad) by using zip lock bags for the dredging.  In the first, I mixed an egg, salt, pepper, cayenne and a splash of milk.  In the second, I mixed 1/2 cup flour with Old Bay, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper (I used about 1/4 tsp amounts). This was enough mix for 4-5 chicken drumsticks.  First into the egg, then shake in the flour.  I heated 1/2 inch of canola oil in a cast iron skillet, and fried all sides to golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side.  I turned down the heat slightly, added a lid and cooked for 4-5 minutes more. Why?  The lid creates steam and cooks the chicken more thoroughly, keeping it juicy.  Total cooking time is about 15 minutes.

The salad is just what it sounds like, and it tastes just like a baked potato.  Rub an ex-large russet potato with olive oil and sea salt.  Bake on baking sheet for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Cool completely.  Cook 5 strips of bacon to extra crispy, cool and chop.  Chop 2 tbl green onion or chive.  Cube cooled potato and toss with green onion, bacon , 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 tbl mayonnaise, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and salt to taste.  Add more sour cream if you like it moister.  Great side with fried chicken.

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