Poultry

Dear to my heart, My Grandmother’s Fried Chicken.

July 2, 2019 by Becky Spoon

Southern Fried Chicken
Southern Fried Chicken you cook yourself is the best! My mother was an only child and we spent a lot of time with her mother, my grandmother or Granny as we called her. We’d go for the weekend to stay with her and almost every Saturday night before we went to bed Granny and Mom would make sure the kitchen was spotless and then they would cut chickens up and put them in salted water and into the refrigerator to brine overnight for Sunday lunch. — Southern Fried Chicken

Southern Fried Chicken you cook yourself is the best! My mother was an only child and we spent a lot of time with her mother, my grandmother or Granny as we called her. We’d go for the weekend to stay with her and almost every Saturday night before we went to bed Granny and Mom would make sure the kitchen was spotless and then they would cut chickens up and put them in salted water and into the refrigerator to brine overnight for Sunday lunch.

The next day the house smelled amazing of fried chicken! I remember a table full of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and cream gravy, maybe some fresh Blackeyed peas, corn on the cob, cornbread, sliced tomatoes, all the delicious foods you may find on a Southern table.

What I do…

I buy a whole chicken and cut it up myself. Not only is this less expensive but I’m getting all the pieces from the same chicken. I also don’t want a too big chicken but about a 3 to 3 1/2 pound chicken. Then I cut it up, legs and thighs first, then the wings and then remove the breast. I fry every part of the chicken which includes the back which by the way has some delicious meat on them. If you don’t know how to cut up a chicken, here’s a short video of instructions: https://www.youtube.com/embed/GEwRmG2HEuM?autoplay=1&FORM=VIRE6&PC=EMMX06.

I like to buy a natural chicken like the H-E-B Natural Chickens I buy from my local Store. Whole Foods, Costco, Central Market, Sams Club, other groceries will offer a natural chicken.

Granny’s Essential Southern Fried Chicken

I like to serve this with different sides. Probably the most favorite for most is mashed potatoes. Here’s my mashed potatoes recipe also: delicious buttery mashed potatoes!!

Granny’s Essential Southern Fried Chicken

Print Recipe

Coursedinner, Lunch, Main Course

CuisineAmerican

Keywordchicken, fried chicken, southern food, southern fried chicken

Ingredients

1 3 – 3 1/2 lb chicken, cut into pieces
4-5 cups All purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
a little more salt and pepper to lightly season your flour
3-4 eggs, beaten
canola or vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Cut a whole chicken up and place in a bowl of salted water. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator the night before.
Beat three eggs completely in a medium bowl. I like to use a hand held blender because I like the eggs a little frothy.
In another bowl add your flour and lightly salt and pepper, add the baking soda and whisk together.
Pat your chicken pieces dry and season the entire chicken with the 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. I let it sit for a minute or so to allow it to so it will adhere to your chicken.
Place each peace of chicken in the flour, then the eggs, then the flour again covering completely and shaking off the excess. Place on a sheet pan and continue until all pieces are battered.
Add oil to a heavy skillet to 350. Add chicken in batches making sure not to crowd. I like to maintain a heat between 325 and 350 otherwise your chicken will be brown and raw in the middle. Another tip is that I like to brown the chicken lightly on all sides, then reduce the heat to about 325 to allow it to cook through, turning occasionally.
When the first side browns, turn and allow the other side to completely brown. Then I turn a few more times from side to side to make sure the inside is fine. I always check each piece with a thermometer because nothing’s worse than a raw chicken. You want the internal temperature to be 165 degrees for the breast and for the thighs and legs 175 degrees will render a better texture. I drain on a rack placed over a sheet pan to insure the chicken remains crispy! Enjoy!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes — Southern Fried Chicken

Big Green Egg Smoked Bbq Chicken

June 22, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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This Big Green Egg Smoked Bbq Chicken is the best! I finally bought a Meat Injector from Home Depot! I injected this with melted butter that I added bbq sauce and when the cooking had finished, the juices were almost pouring out of this chicken!! Yes! Crazy good! Use the BBq sauce of your choice.

Big Green Egg Smoked BBQ Chicken

I don’t know if it’s because we’re from Texas but I really like some of the Texas BBQ sauces out there. I love the BBQ sauce from Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas, just southwest of Austin. I love the BBQ sauce that Louis Mueller uses. It’s very thin and vinegar based. I love the BBQ sauces Aaron Franklin makes. That’s what I used in this recipe was the original sauce from Franklin’s bbq in this recipe. You can buy it online if you don’t have it in your area, but our Texas-based HEB carries it and that’s where I buy it. Here’s their link so you can see what I buy. https://www.heb.com/product-detail/franklin-barbecue-texas-style-barbecue-sauce/1639566

I smoked this chicken in my Big Green Egg, but you could smoke it in the smoker of your choice. If you don’t have a smoker you can cook this on your gas grill or charcoal grill as long as you cook it over hot coals. You would need to set it to the side away from the hot coals.

There are so many side dishes that would be great with this chicken! I always love a baked potato with bbq chicken for some reason. I love to make Texas Toast with BBQ chicken. My potato salad is an excellent side dish. Here’s the link if you decide to make potato salad: https://the2spoons.com/super-good-southern-potato-salad/

Big Green Egg Smoked BBQ Chicken

Enjoy the recipe!

Big Green Egg Smoked BBQ Chicken

Print Recipe

Coursedinner, Lunch, Main Course

CuisineAmerican, bbq

Keywordbbq, bbq chicken, big green egg, big green egg smoked chicken

Servings servings

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, wings tucked behind and legs tied
8 tbsp butter melted
1/4 cup bbq sauce of your preference, plus more for basting
oilive oil for coating the outside of the chicken
salt and pepper

Instructions

Combine the melted butter and bbq sauce. Inject the chicken all over with the mixture., under the skin around the breast, trying to make sure there's added moisture in all the areas that tend to be drier than others of the chicken.
Pat the outside dry with a paper towel. Apply a thin coat of extra virgin olive oil on the chicken, front and back and salt and pepper all over, including the cavity.
Place the chicken on your prepared grill or smoker. I usually want my smoker temperature about 350 degrees when I'm smoking a chicken, because a slow smoke is not necessary. I don't add bbq sauce at this time. When the chicken starts to brown and the skin starts to crisp a little, I start brushing bbq sauce on the chicken, and continue every 15 minutes or so until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165. I like to check the area between the leg quarter and breast because for me that seems to be the area that takes longer to cook.
Remove the chicken from the grill and allow to rest 15 to 30 minutes. Slice and enjoy with your favorite sides.

Quick Chicken Thighs Under a Brick with Pesto Verde

June 20, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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I saw this Chicken Thighs Under a Brick in the June/July issue of Bon Appetite and I had to make it!

I’ve made chicken under a brick many times with a whole chicken cutting out the back bone, but doing this with just the thighs was so quick and easy! The added pesto verde is a delicious addition to this crispy and juicy chicken!

I use two bricks that I wrap in foil. If you done have bricks you can use a heavy skillet like an iron skillet. You would place a piece of foil over the chicken, skin side down and top with the skillet. Here’s a quick “how to” if you aren’t familiar http://www.dartagnan.com/how-to-make-chicken-und…

Quick Chicken Thighs Under a Brick with Pesto Verde

These would be great with potatoes or even rice pilaf would be delicious. Here’s my recipe for my Cheesy Potatoes Gratin https://the2spoons.com/cheesy-potatoes-gratin/.

Chicken Thighs Under a Brick

Print Recipe

Coursedinner, Lunch, Main Course

CuisineAmerican

Keywordchicken, chicken thighs under a brick, Roast Chicken Thighs

Servings Servings

Ingredients

4 skin on, chicken thighs
1 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 oil packed anchovy filet, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
3 scallions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced

Instructions

Wrap 2 bricks with foil (if you don’t have any bricks lying around, use a heavy skillet). Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Pour oil into a medium cast-iron skillet. Place chicken in pan skin side down (it’s okay if the pieces touch, but make sure they don’t overlap). Heat pan over medium-high and place a prepared brick on top of each piece (or, place a sheet of foil over chicken, then set a second cast-iron skillet on top). Cook chicken, checking halfway through to make sure skin isn’t taking on color too quickly and reducing heat to medium if needed, until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and flesh is almost completely cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Pesto Verde and Assembly
While chicken is cooking, place anchovy, garlic, and 1 tsp. salt in a mortar and use pestle to pound to a paste, about 1 minute. Add parsley and continue to pound until completely pulverized, about 2 minutes. (Alternately, grate garlic and finely chop anchovy and parsley, then mix together in a medium bowl.) Mix in oil, vinegar, mustard, and red pepper flakes with pestle, then add scallions. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.
Carefully remove bricks (foil will be greasy) and check chicken. There should be only a hint of medium-rare flesh on the thickest part of the thigh. Using a thin spatula, release chicken skin from pan and turn onto flesh side. Remove from heat and let sit to finish cooking through, about 1 minute.
Spoon some pesto verde onto a platter. Top with chicken, skin side up, and spoon more pesto over (but don’t cover up all that beautiful crisp skin you just created!).

Cheesy Potatoes Gratin — Chicken Thighs Under a Brick

Chicken & Dumplings, the Perfect Comfort Food

June 18, 2019 by Becky Spoon

Yesterday I made Chicken and Dumplings for my 90-year old Mom. Allen and I had them too, because who can resist this dish? I can’t! They are delicious any time of the year. Mom made delicious dumplings growing up. These are a little different because they seem to be juicer, and I have the finished dumplings with peas and carrots. Not only are you getting added vegetables but look how pretty they are? I added a lot of fresh cracked black pepper because I love it on dumplings!

Some like drop dumplings so I’ve included a recipe from Food Network for those, but I honestly love this recipe for dumplings. They hold together yet they are so tender. If you are in a pinch for time Bisquick has a recipe for drop biscuits that is quick and you’d do everything else the same…but try my dumplings! they are the best! https://www.bettycrocker.com/…/bisquick-recipes/bisquick-dumpling-recipes

I cooked the chicken in my instant pot by cutting it into maybe 5 or 6 pieces, you don’t have to be precise, just as long as they are small enough for you to brown them before you add water and the other ingredients and start your pressure cooking. To add even more flavor, instead of water I used chicken stock with a carrot, onion, and celery.

Chicken and Dumplings, The Perfect Comfort Food

You honestly don’t need anything with this dish, but if you want something else I think a nice vegetable like asparagus would be great. https://the2spoons.com/prosciutto-wrapped-asparagus-screams-spring/

Chicken and Dumplings – the Perfect Comfort Food

Print Recipe

CourseMain Course

CuisineAmerican

Keywordchicken, chicken and dumplings, Dumplings

Servings servings

Ingredients

For the Chicken (I cooked the chicken in my instant pot)

1 whole chicken pieces (cut into 5 or 6 pieces
onion, cut in chunks (does not have to be peeled), stalk of celery and one carrot for cooking the chicken, along with enough chicken stock to cover

For the Dumplings

2 1/4 cups flour
4 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 1/2 to 2 Cups milk
3 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt

For the Chicken and Dumplings

1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinkly sliced
4 tbsp unsalted butter
8 tbsp flour
chicken broth from cooking your chicken
Cooked chicken, diced or shredded
1/2 cup english peas
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

For the Chicken

Brown the chicken pieces in a little oil in the instant pot or a stock pot. When browned add 1/2 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk. Cover with water or chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer until chicken begins to fall off the bone..45 minutes to 1 hour or about 30 minutes in the instant pot. Remove from the stock pot and after it has cooled, shred the pieces you want to use and save the remainder for another use.

For the Dumplings

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Heat the milk and butter in a small sauce pan to a scald. Pour the milk mixture over the flour, baking powder and salt mixture.
Combine the mixture and form into a disc.
Roll the dough on a floured surface as think as possible.
Cut the rolled out dough into strips, then pieces.

For the Chicken and Dumplings

Strain your broth and return to the pan you cooked your chicken in and heat to medium high. Mix the butter and flour together with two cups of warm stock and add to your other chicken stock whisking to insure no lumps. This is your thickener. Add the chopped vegetables and cook until crisp tender.
Add the shredded chicken and the peas.
Add the dumpling strips one at a time. I use a table knife to just clear an opening, then add more until all used. Cook uncovered until for about 20 minutes until done. You want to not disturb as much as you can until they are cooked but I just shake my pan a little while they are cooking.
Spoon the dumplings into serving bowls and enjoy!!

Quick Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

May 23, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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These Quick Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas are delicious! The great thing about sheet pan cooking which is really popular is that everything is ready at the same time! And the clean-up? One sheet pan! You could easily do the same with a nice piece of fish or even shrimp would be delicious.

Quick Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

All I did for this recipe was to cut my boneless and skinless chicken breast into uniform thin strips, along with red, yellow and green bell peppers and red onions. Then I sprinkled with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and tajin Clasico seasoning. https://www.tajin.com/products/tajin-clasico.

Then, all you have to do is heat some flour or corn tortillas on the griddle, throw in your favorite salsas, some avocado or guacamole and you’re done. Here’s my guacamole recipe that I think you’ll love with these! https://the2spoons.com/easy-homemade-guacamole/

This recipe will be great for this holiday weekend or just your go to for a quick family meal during the week. Because my cowboy always wants beef, I had a small piece of skirt steak that I added the same seasonings, cooked it on the griddle until a medium rare and I sliced it across the grain, then loaded his tortillas with beef and chicken.

Here you go! This easy recipe!

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Print Recipe

CourseMain Course

CuisineMexican, Texmex

Servings Servings

Ingredients

2 Skinless, boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 each green, red and yellow bell peppers, julienned
2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and julienned (optional)
1 red onion, thinly sliced
oil for drizzling
limes for finishing and more to serve alongside
sprinkling of salt, pepper, garlic powder, tajin seasoning, cumin, chili powder
cilantro, chopped
condiments for serving like guacamole and your favorite salsas

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Layer all the chicken and vegetables separately on a sheet pan. Drizzle all with the oil. Sprinkle all with the spices, mixing up, but still keeping your ingredients separate. Bake until the chicken is done, watching carefully…10-20 minutes. If you want a little char.. turn your broiler on the last few minutes of cooking! Squeeze lime juice all over the cooked ingredients and sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. Heat your tortillas on a griddle or skillet. Layer cheese into the tortillas, then the chicken and peppers. Serve with fresh avocado or guacamole and your choice of salsas and more limes! Enjoy!

Yummy! Roast Chicken Thighs with Peas & Mint

April 28, 2019 by Becky Spoon

I think these roast chicken thighs just look like spring and they sure have springtime ingredients. Peas, scallions and mint are essential spring ingredients. Oh, and I forgot the leeks! After tasting these leeks in this dish I wonder why I don’t cook with them more often! They have such a mild flavor, yet so delicious!

This is another recipe I got from the Bon Appetit April 2019 issue. I pretty much followed the recipes as I had the ingredients, but I did soak the chicken overnight in buttermilk, something the recipe did not call for. The buttermilk just makes chicken even more juicy and tender. https://thekitchenadvisor.com/good-soak-chicken-buttermilk/

Yummy! Roast Chicken Thighs with Peas & Mint

I served this dish with chunky garlic mashed potatoes: https://the2spoons.com/chunky-garlic-mashed-potatoes-with-scallions/ This was a perfect combination!

Can’t wait for you to try this too!! It is so yummy!! My cowboy loves it too!!

Roast Chicken Thighs with Peas & Mint

Print Recipe

Coursedinner, Main Course

CuisineAmerican

KeywordRoast Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

6 Skin-on, bone in chicken thighs
1 Tbsp Coriander
Kosher salt
2 Tbsps Extra virgin olive
3 Large leeks, white and pale green parts only, sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 Strips lemon zest
2 Bay leaves
1/3 Cup Dry white wine
1 1/2 Cups Chicken broth
1 Cup Fresh or frozen peas
1 Cup Mint leaves, torn if large

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Pat chicken thighs dry; sprinkle flesh side with coriander. Season generously all over with salt.
Heat oil in a large high-sided or cast-iron skillet over medium. Cook chicken, skin side down, undisturbed, until thighs release easily from pan, about 4 minutes. Continue to cook, scooting chicken around occasionally for even browning, until golden brown, about 5 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a plate, skin side up.
Pour out all but 2 Tbsp. fat from skillet and return to medium heat. Add leeks and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add lemon zest and bay leaves and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Pour in wine, scraping up any brown bits stuck to bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until wine is almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Return chicken to skillet, arranging skin side up. Transfer skillet to oven; roast chicken until cooked through and juices run clear when poked with a paring knife, 15–20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
If using fresh peas, cook in same skillet over medium heat until tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. If using frozen, cook just until warmed through, about 1 minute. Toss in mint; season with more salt if needed. Arrange vegetables and chicken in a large shallow bowl or on a platter.