The Best Fried Chicken

Fried chicken: everyone has his or her own idea of a "best" fried chicken.  I have had lots of good fried chicken -- the bone-in, skin-on fryer pieces my mother used to cook in her electric skillet, the tender parboiled and fried chicken my Aunt Irene used to make -- who can say which is really the best?  What I can say is that this is the best fried chicken that comes out of my own kitchen.  A tender, buttermilk marinated piece of chicken joy.

There is no real recipe for this dish.  I use boneless, skinless breast meat which I usually cut in half through the thickest part to make each piece thinner and a little more uniform.  Trim off all fat, pierce each piece all over with a fork, and soak, fully immersed, in a buttermilk bath for at least four hours.  If you want a little more zip, you can add a splash or two of Tabasco sauce to the buttermilk.  Dredge each piece in salt-and-pepper-seasoned flour and fry in hot vegetable oil, turning only once.  I usually dredge in the flour twice, letting the chicken rest just a couple of minutes in between.

Any time, any place, winter or summer.  Love this chicken.

Easy Fifties Chicken

I am trying to stick to my resolution to eat healthier.  (Pay no attention to that cheeseburger behind the curtain!)  So last night after a busy, snowy day, I fell back on this easy chicken recipe I use on those evenings when I want a healthy entree that doesn't require a lot of hand-holding.  It's quick to whip up, then you just stick it in the oven, put some brown rice on to steam, and come back in about half an hour or so to a tasty dinner.

When you mix it up, it may seem like a lot of extra sauce but, if served over rice, the sauce is absorbed by the rice and helps add flavor.

Fifties Chicken

Adapted from Eater’s Choice: Low Fat Cookbook by Dr. Ron Goor and Nancy Goor

¼ cup unbleached white flour

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped green pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

¾ cup orange-pineapple juice

1-2 large cloves garlic, crushed, or 3-4 small cloves, whole

2-3 shakes of Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute onion and green pepper in olive oil medium saucepan until tender.  Mix in orange-pineapple juice, garlic, Tabasco sauce, mustard, and soy sauce.  Heat over medium heat while flouring chicken.

Lightly flour chicken, covering both sides.  Place chicken in a single layer in a shallow baking dish.  Cover with sauce.

Bake chicken for 30-45 minutes or until cooked through.  Serve over brown rice.

Printable recipe