Oven Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is one of those things I only get to eat once or twice per year, usually at  family parties.

But I look forward to it because, in my opinion, chicken was meant to be fried. The crispy golden breading that comes from immersing the chicken into a pool of smoking hot oil goes perfectly with the moist, rich texture of the meat.

Sadly, because it’s too high in fat, in my house we don’t eat legitimately fried chicken. I remember one time I burned the dinner so I went out and bought some Popeye’s chicken. My wife simply refused to eat it.

But this recipe is lower in fat, doesn’t require a deep fryer or a dangerous pan full of hot shortening, and still results in a crispy delicious chicken.

Although I love to eat fried chicken for dinner, what I love even more is wrapping the leftover chicken in wax paper the next day and bringing it on a picnic. This recipe is suitable for both.

I served this oven fried chicken with some smashed potatoes and with a red cabbage cole slaw (recipe to follow) to round out a perfect summertime dinner.

Oven Fried Chicken

1 Chicken, cut into 8 peices

1/4 cup Unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Granulated garlic

Pinch of Cayenne pepper

1 tsp Sea salt

1/4 tsp Fresh cracked black pepper

1/3 cup Margarine (or butter for the truly indulgent)

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Rinse chicken peices and pat dry with paper towels. In a bowl, combine flour, paprika, gran garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken peices so that they are completely covered with seasoned flour mixture. If you prefer, you can use the “Shake and Bake” method by putting all the dry ingredients into a large plastic bag, then putting the individual chicken peices in the bag, sealing it and shaking it around so that each peice is completely covered with the coating. You will get the same result.

2. Place margarine in a 9″x13″x2″ casserole pan and place in oven. When melted, remove from oven and arrange chicken peices in the bottom of the pan, skin side down. Return to oven and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, turn peices over and bake another 15 minutes.

Red Cabbage Cole Slaw

4 cups  Red Cabbage (about 1/2 head)

1 Carrot, peeled

1/2 White onion

1/2 Green bell pepper, ribs and seedes removed, fine dice

1/2 cup Reduced fat Mayonnaise

1 TBS Apple cider vinegar

2 tsp Granulated sugar

1 tsp Whole celery seed

1/4 tsp Sea salt

Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

1. Use a box grater to grate the cabbage, carrot and onion into a mixing bowl then add the green pepper. In a separate mixing bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, celery seed and salt.

2. Combine the dressing and the cabbage mixture and toss together with a spatula until it has a consistent texture. Season with pepper to taste. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving so that flavors can meld together.

Ironically, up until a few months ago, there was a fried chicken restaurant at the end of our street (It recently closed and was replaced with a cash for car titles business!). Whenever I would walk the dogs past there, I would linger a few moments so I could absorb the smells of the frying chicken.

A fella can dream, can’t he?

 

Greek Turkey Burgers with Smashed Potatoes

At the end of the street where I grew up, there’s a Greek Orthodox church. Every Father’s Day weekend, they host a big carnival with rides, games and, best of all, lots and lots of Greek food.

Ever since attending that carnival as a young boy, Greek food has been one of my favorite cuisines. Anytime my wife asks where I would like to go out to dinner, I always suggest Greektown in Chicago first.

Greek food just makes me feel at home, and I’m not even Greek. I love lamb, for one thing. My wife, Sandi, will not eat lamb so the only time I get to have it is in Greektown.

But I also love saganaki, the flaming cheese where the waiter shouts, ”Opah!”

And stuffed grape leaves. And baby octopus salad. I love those inexpensive semi-sweet chilled Roditys and Retsina wines. What about the baklava, with the the nuts and honey wrapped in Phyllo dough? OMG good! I even love the bouzouki music they play.

Great, now I totally have to go to Greektown.

Greek Turkey Burgers on Whole Wheat Buns

Anyway, although I love Greek cooking, I very rarely get to cook Greek. So when I came across this recipe for Greek Turkey Burgers, I knew I had to give it a try.

I’m glad I did because the results were excellent. They have huge flavors and are much more juicy than regular turkey burgers. That’s because ground turkey usually is about 99% protein and only 1% fat, compared to ground beef which averages 75/25 or 80/20 protein-to-fat ratio. So while turkey burgers may have a lower fat content, you pay for it in the mouthfeel.

Unless you add more fat! In this case, feta cheese, the white, crumbly cheese most often seen on Greek salads.

Smashed Potatoes

I paired it with a smashed potatoes recipe I found on the2Beths blog, who raved about it after seeing it on the Pioneer Woman’s blog. She calls them Crash Hot Potatoes, although I don’t really understand why. But since she just got her own TV show on the Food Network, I knew they had to be fantastic. They were.

So here are the recipes. I hope your enjoy them. Opah!

Greek Turkey Burgers

1 lb ground turkey

1 TBS dry oregano

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 TBS onion powder

1 TBS granulated garlic

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese

1. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix well using a wooden spoon or, better yet, your hands. Form into three or four hockey puck sized patties. I usually throw them on a sheet pan and put them in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm them up and make them easier to work with come grill time. These can be made hours or even a day before you are ready to serve.

2. Turn your grill as high as it will go, getting it really hot. Meanwhile, use pan spray to oil both sides of the burgers and season with S&P. Use a rag to put a little oil on the grill itself (okay, I use the pan spray, even though you totally shouldn’t), then place your burgers on the hottest part of the grill to mark both sides of your burgers, about a minute per side. Then turn the grill to its lowest temperature setting, move the burgers away from the direct heat, such as to an upper shelf, close the lid and let them finish for about 15-20 minutes.

Extra credit: Just before service, toast the buns on the grill. Serve with shredded red leaf lettuce, red onion slices and sliced tomato.

Smashed Potatoes

6 red potatoes

3 TBS EVOO

Sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste

1 sprig fresh rosemary, removed from stalk and chopped fine

2 TBS grated parmesan

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from water and drain.

2. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and place potatoes on sheet pan, with plenty of room in between. Using a potato masher, gently crush the potato until it slightly mashes, then rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Drizzle or brush the tops of the potatoes with the EVOO, season with S&P and sprinkle on the rosemary. Cook in 425F oven for about 20 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle with the parmesan, and return to oven for about 10 more minutes. Yum.

Good job, Pioneer Woman. And good luck witht the show! I’ll be watching.