Honey-Brined Fried Chicken Breasts

Honey-Brined Fried Chicken Breasts

Recipe found here

3 C. cold water

1/4 C. kosher salt

1/4 C. honey

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 C. buttermilk

1 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. onion salt

cayenne pepper to taste

corn oil for frying

1. Mix cold water, kosher salt, and honey in a large bowl; stir until salt dissolves. Add chicken breasts, and weigh them down with a plate to keep them completely submerged. Cover entire bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Remove bowl from refrigerator; drain and dry chicken. Pour buttermilk over chicken in a large bowl. Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes.
3. Combine flour, black pepper, garlic salt, onion salt, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.
4. Coat each chicken breast in flour mixture until well covered on all sides; place flour-coated chicken breasts on a cooling rack to dry for 15 minutes.
5. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cook chicken breasts until browned and no longer pink in the center, about 10 to 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
6. Transfer chicken to a cooling rack; allow to cool for 5 minutes. 

Comments:
This is FANTASTIC!   Mike couldn't stop saying how great it was.  The only reason I don't like fried chicken is the skin, and this eliminates that problem...as well as the added fat skin has.  Still not the healthiest thing in world, but certainly better that a traditional fried chicken with skin and bones.

Stuffing

Stuffing

Modified recipe from Jan McKinney

1 lb. butter

5 1-lb. loaves of bread, broken into small pieces

5 large onions

1/2 C. broken sage leaf

2 Tbls. salt

Blend onions with melted butter, mix with sage and salt.  Stir in with bread.  Bake at 350 degrees. for 1 hour.

Comments:

This is my favorite stuffing recipe, especially because you don't cook it in the turkey.  It's very simple, but delicious.  You can reduce the onion a bit if you don't like a strong onion taste, but I love it!

Classic White Bread

Classic White Bread

Modified from the recipe found here

2 Tbls. active dry yeast

3 Tbls. white sugar

 2 1/2 C. warm water

3 Tbls. butter, softened

1 Tbls. salt

7 C. flour

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Stir in butter, salt and two cups of the flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
2. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.  Brush with better after removing from oven. 

Comments:
We LOVE this bread!  It is so simple but wonderful.  It raises quite a bit, so don't place the pans too close to the top of the oven when baking.  I would suggest making sure that it is in the middle of the oven for best all around baking.

Beef and Bean Chimichangas

Beef and Bean Chimichangas

Modified from this recipe

1/2 lb. lean ground beef

1/2 C. chopped onion

1/2 C. diced bell pepper

3/4 C. whole kernel corn

1 C. taco sauce

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 can refried beans

4 (12 inch) flour tortillas

8 oz. shredded monterey jack cheese

shredded lettuce

diced tomatoes

sour cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Drain excess grease, and add the onion, bell pepper, and corn.  Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Stir in the taco sauce, and season with chili powder, garlic salt and cumin, stirring until blended.  Cook until heated through, then remove from heat, and set aside.

3. Open the can of beans, and spread a thin layer of beans onto each of the tortillas.  Spoon the beef mixture down the center, and then top with as much shredded cheese as you like.  Toll up the tortillas, and place them seam-side down onto a baking sheet.

4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.  Serve with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream.

Comments:

These were great, and I am especially delighted that they were baked and not fried.  The original recipe says to brush with butter before baking, but I didn't and they turned out just great (although they probably would have browned a little better with the butter).