Classic Buttermilk Fried Chicken

I found this gem in my June 2015 issue of Country Living Magazine.  Trisha Yearwood sure knows how to make some good fried chicken!  The thing I love about this recipe is that you finish cooking in the oven, keeping the chicken crispy and delicious right up until you serve it.  Also, the overnight or 6-8 hour marinade time really gives it amazing flavor.  So you may need to plan ahead for this one but it's oh-so-worth it!

BUTTERMILK MARINADE
5 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup hot water
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 sweet onion, grated (grating releases more of sweet flavor)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp pepper
5-6 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken parts
(For a "healthier" version, I chop up skinless, boneless chicken pieces and still think its amazing)

1.  Whisk hot water and 5 tsp salt in large bowl until dissolved.  Then add buttermilk, eggs, onion, garlic and pepper and whisk together.  Add chicken and turn to coat; cover and refrigerate 8 hours or up to overnight.

2.  Drain chicken and discard buttermilk mixture.  Whisk together in large bowl or bag:
4 cups self-rising flour
3 tsp kosher salt

3.  Toss chicken in flour mixture, one piece at a time until coated and remove until all pieces have been coated.  Return all the chicken to flour mixture and gently toss until coated.  Let sit 15 minutes.  This allows flour to adhere to chicken, yielding an extra-crispy crust.  (Even on skinless chicken!)

4.  Preheat oven to 325 and line a large rimmed baking sheet with oven-safe wire rack.

5.  Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil (an bacon drippings if desired) in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees.  Fry chicken in batches, skin-side down until golden brown.  About 4-5 min per side.

6.  Transfer chicken to cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until done (165 degrees internal temp).  Let stand for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

My friend Lindsay K made these when we did a freezer meal exchange and they were delicious!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
abountifulkitchen.com

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1-2 limes)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 pound chicken, cooked* and shredded , about 2-3 large chicken breast halves
8-10 medium flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce (see recipe below)
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup cream


Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken.Place ingredients into a Ziploc bag and let marinate for at least 1 hour, preferably 6-8 hours in refrigerator.
Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a greased 9X13 baking pan.
Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top ofenchiladas.
Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with half and half, cream and leftover marinade.
Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Serves 6


Tips:

* For the chicken, I placed 6 large frozen chicken breast halves in a crock pot on low heat for about 4-5 hours. Salt and pepper generously. Add about 1 cup of water, chicken broth or green chili salsa. Shred when chicken is cooked. It is best to do this early in the day, or the day before you want to use the chicken in a recipe. 

Homemade  Green Enchilada Sauce
A Bountiful Kitchen

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1-16 oz jar Salsa Verde
12 oz tomatillos, chopped (about 1lb before husking)
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1-14 oz  chicken or vegetable broth
Salt to taste

Saute chopped onion in olive oil in medium saucepan. Cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for another two minutes. Remove from heat.
Place all of the remaining ingredients in a blender, or use a hand immersion blender, and blend until smooth.
Use in recipes calling for green enchilada sauce.
Yield about 5-6 cups sauce.

Tips:
-Leftovers may be frozen.

Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce by Lindsay K

Spring Rolls
rice paper
rice noodles
cilantro
basil
lettuce
cucumber
shrimp 
rotisserie chicken

Peanut Sauce
1 lime peeled and juiced with pulp
3 to 4 Tbsp sugar 
3 to 4 Tbsp peanut butter
1-2 Tbsp hoisin sauce  
2 to 3Tbsp fish sauce
crushed garlic and chili pepper
serracha for spice little red pepper, but I have substituted jalepeno because you have to go to the Asian store for those.  Mix all together.

Honey-Lemon Stir Fry

Here's a fabulous recipe from Rachel Larson! 

1 lb. chicken breasts; cubed
1/3-1/2 cup honey (depending on taste)
1/3-1/2 lemon juice (depending on taste)
whatever you choose; use equal parts of honey and lemon juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1-2 Tbsp. oil (your choice-use sesame for a more Asian flavor)
Veggies of choice (snap peas, bell peppers, onions, water chestnuts, etc.; frozen varieties work fine)
1 tsp. Chinese 5 spice powder

Saute veggies over medium heat in fry pan (if using fresh veggies).  Remove from pan and set aside. Shake the chicken in a flour mixture with 1 tsp. Chinese 5 spice powder.  Brown chicken in fry pan or wok.  Combine veggies and chicken with sauce mixture (lemon juice, honey, soy sauce).  Cook until bubbly and the veggies are done to desired consistency.  Serve over rice, chow mein noodles, or whatever you like.

Chicken Pot Pie

If you are looking for some good comfort food, this pot pie from my friend Cheer Anne is fabulous! 

Crust: 
1 2/3 c. flour
1 pkg cream cheese
1/3 c. cold margarine (I used butter)

Filling:
1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 c. water
2/3 c. milk
1 pkg chicken gravy (can use mushroom too)
2 c. chicken, cubed
1 c. frozen mixed vegetables

In saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour, salt and pepper.  Slowly stir in  water, milk, and gravy mix.  Bring to a boil.  Boil and stir for 2 minutes until thickened.  Stir in chicken and vegetables and set aside. 

For crust, mix flour, cream cheese and margarine.  Separate into 2 balls.  Roll one ball to fit a 9x9 pan.  Pour filling into bottom crust.  Roll last ball for top crust.  Pinch edges of crusts together.  Bake 30-40 min. at 425 degrees, or until crust is golden brown.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com. I love it because it is stuff I can easily keep on hand in the freezer for one of those "I don't know what to cook for dinner and I haven't been to the grocery store" meals.

INGREDIENTS:

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/2 inch thickness* 6 string cheese sticks** 6 slices ham***

1/2 cup butter, melted 1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs toothpick

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Lay out the pounded chicken breasts on a clean surface. Place a slice of ham on each piece, then one stick of cheese. Roll the chicken up around the cheese and ham, and secure with toothpicks. Dip each roll in melted butter, then roll in bread crumbs. Place in a shallow baking dish.

3. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is browned and juices run clear.

*Just a note, I don't pound my chicken. I just buy the thinnest chicken I can or slice it thinner and use the extra pieces for other chicken recipes. I've just always made a mess of chicken when I pound it - so either way will probably work.

**Some string cheese melts more than others, so some brands just melt right out of the roll while it is baking. Fridgio (?) has worked well for me.

***Ham you have on hand for sandwiches works great. Nice and thin and it's easy to roll.

BBQ Chicken Pizza (Example & Label Ideas)

Here is an example of a basic recipe. Be sure to include labels so we can search the entries easily. You can add the labels when you create a new post (see small box at the bottom right). For labels, please include the main ingredient(s) and the category. For this recipe, my labels were Chicken, Pizza, Main Dish. Here are the basic categories we could use (if you think of more, go for it!):

Appetizer
Beverage
Bread
Soup
Salad
Main Dish
Side Dish
Misc. (Dressing, Toppings, Sauces, Etc.)
Dessert

BBQ Chicken Pizza by Emily & Haley

1 pizza crust
3 chicken breasts
1 1/3 c. BBQ sauce
6 oz. provolone or mozzarella, shredded
6 oz. smoked Gouda, shredded
1/4 red onion, sliced
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Combine chicken and 2/3 c. BBQ sauce & marinate (1 hour or more). Then bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Once cool, chop into strips or bite-size pieces.

Spoon 2/3 c. BBQ sauce onto pizza dough. Then sprinkle half of cheese on top. Cover with chicken and onion. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes. After removing from the oven, sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve. Serves 4.

Comments:
Here's a great recipe I got at a recent recipe swap with the YW of our ward. I made it a few weeks ago and it was great! Even my brother liked it.