Fried Chicken

Ok. I have a confession. Against my hippie-mom better judgement and my anti-msg self, I love chick-fil-a. There. I said it. 

Unfortunately, E cannot do it :-( Preservatives + things I can't pronounce = off limits. 

So I did what I never thought I'd do ... I fried chicken! I did it! I deep-fried for the first time in my life! And it worked! The meat cooked and I didn't burn the house down or catch anything on fire. 

This is what a kid's meal looks like in our house. Sad. I know. But at least my girl is eating! And healthy. 

Elle loved them! So, recipe:

Fried Chicken Nuggets (better than Albertsons!)

4-6 servings

Ingredients 

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded flat- I did about 3/4 inch thick, cut into desired size bites)

3/4 cup buttermilk (or milk + 1 T vinegar)

1 1/2 cups flour

1 T onion powder

1 T garlic powder

1/2 T salt 

1 t pepper

(Other spices - paprika, oregano, chili powder, or whatever you like to taste)

An egg

Oil for frying 

Directions

Start heating oil- medium worked for me. By the time I was ready, the oil was a little over 350. Perfect temp. 

In a glass bowl, Soak the chicken in the buttermilk. 

While chicken is soaking, mix flour and spices in gallon ziplock bag. 

After chicken has soaked for 15-30 min, remove the pieces from the buttermilk (leave the extra buttermilk in the bowl) and place in ziplock bag. Shake until chicken is evenly coated. 

Add an egg to the buttermilk and whisk until smooth. Add chicken to egg/buttermilk mixture. And coat the floured chicken in egg. 

Place chicken back into the ziplock and coat with flour again. 

With second coat of flour, place chicken on pan or parchment paper. Let the flour mixture sit on the chicken until it starts to turn into a paste. 

Fry in hot oil. Don't add too much chicken. Keeping the oil temp up is very important. 

What I love about this recipe:

E eats them! 

But besides that :) It's homemade (hormone free, preservative free, msg free), but looks like chicken nuggets you'd buy at a store or fast food joint. Mine were bland, but you can make yours spicy. Don't be scared. Add lots of spices! Flour+frying makes for a recipe that is practically impossible to over-spice.