Mrs. Scales Southern Chicken Fried Chicken

I know the ingredient list seems long..but this recipe is actually pretty quick and easy.  The beauty of that crazy long list is that you can omit what you don't have on hand.  No onion powder? no biggy..  No creole seasoning?  Just use any seasoning salt..  the bare bones original recipe is simply flour, salt and pepper...so really all this other stuff is just flavor boosting goodness i added to make it a yummy Mrs. Scales-style dish for Mr. Scales.  :)

For the Chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( or as many you want until your egg and flour mix runs out)
• 1 teaspoon of Creole or Cajun seasoning
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup Progresso Italian Bread Crumbs
• 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional if you want extra spice)
• 1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• One-half inch of cooking oil 
• Parsley for topping

For the Gravy:
I went the easy route and used packaged sausage gravy (the dry stuff), followed directions and added a couple pinches of salt.  This also makes the process faster considering i get home late from work.

Directions:
Mix all dry ingredients (except parsley) in a bowl.  Mix it up good and transfer to a plate.  

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. 

Give the chicken a couple pounds with a meat tenderizer if the breasts are thick.  (I didn't, simply because i don't own a meat tenderizer)  

Heat oil in a skillet on medium.  Or you can use a deep fryer (I did).  

Coat each piece of chicken in the flour mixture, then dunk in egg, then coat in flour mixture AGAIN.  Once all pieces are coated, let sit for about 8-10 minutes.  I used this time to get my side dishes ready...this night it was rice and succotash.  Plus i had to wait for my deep fryer to finish heating up.  

Cook each piece in your skillet till golden brown - about 3 min per side.  OR cook in the deep fryer for 10 minutes at 350.

Don't forget to make your gravy per directions on package.  I did this while my chickens were in the deep fryer. 

Plate your chicken, cover with gravy and sprinkle with parsley. 

Yummy.  This was my first go at chicken friend chicken but i was very pleased with the flavor I created.   This flour mix & egg method can be used if your making chicken tenders also!

Enjoy!

~Mrs. Scales

Mac Daddy Mac n' Cheese

I was looking for the perfect mac n' cheese recipe to take to an Easter shindig, and I came across Guy Fieri's Mac Daddy Mac n' Cheese recipe.  Boy am I glad I stumbled on this recipe.. so far everyone has liked it (that's 3 different families so far).  It's unique but not so unique that people think its weird and are afraid to try it.  

Guy Fieri's Mac Daddy Mac n' Cheese as seen on Foodnetwork.com

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place shallots and garlic in a small aluminum foil pouch and drizzle with olive oil. Roast 20 to 30 minutes or until tender.  Pan fry your bacon and reserve the bacon fat.

 Remove shallots and garlic from foil and chop.  

Saute in saucepan with bacon fat until tender (about 1 min).

 Add flour and stir for 1 minute. 

Whisk in heavy cream and thyme. Reduce by a third.

 2 cups cheddar, 1 cup pepper jack

 Stir in cheeses until melted, creamy and thickened. 

 Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and gently stir in pasta. 

 In a small bowl, mix together diced bacon, bread crumbs, butter and parsley.

 Pour mac n cheese into a casserole dish 

(I had halved the recipe in these pics, you'll want to use a 9x13)

 Top Mac n Cheese with Panko mixture and bake uncovered at same heat until bubbling and lightly browned on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

Ingredients

2 shallots, peeled

3 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon olive oil

3 pieces bacon, diced, cooked, reserving 1 tablespoon bacon fat

2 tablespoons flour

4 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound penne pasta, cooked

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

2 tbsp. melted butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Place shallots and garlic in a small aluminum foil pouch and drizzle with olive oil. Roast 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Remove from foil and chop. 
3. In a large sauté pan, reheat reserved bacon fat over medium heat. Add roasted shallot and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. 
4. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in heavy cream and thyme. Reduce by a third. 
5. Stir in cheeses until melted, creamy and thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
6. Remove from heat and gently stir in pasta. Place in a 9X13 casserole dish. 
7. In a small bowl, mix together diced bacon, bread crumbs, butter and parsley. 
8. Top Mac n Cheese with Panko mixture and bake uncovered at same heat until bubbling and lightly browned on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

Guy Fieri's Mac Daddy Mac n' Cheese: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/mac-daddy-mac-n-cheese-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Note from Mrs. Scales:  I've made this 3 times and have realized I prefer to chop the shallots before roasting with the garlic in the foil pouch.  Its kind of difficult and slippery to cut up after they are cooked.  :)

Dijon Chicken

So easy and quite tasty.

• Boneless Skinless chicken thighs- 1 package
• Dijon mustard- 1/2 cup
• Maple syrup- 1/4 cup
• Rice/rice wine vinegar- 1 tablespoon  ( i substitued apple cider vinager+pinch of sugar)
• Fresh rosemary (or rubbed sage)
• Salt and pepper

Whisk up the Dijon mustard, maple syrup,  and vinager.


Salt & pepper the chicken thighs and arrange in a heavily foiled casserole dish (if you don't foil you'll be cleaning the dish for days).

Arrange the chicken in the dish - cover the chicken with the sauce.

Bake at 450 for 20 minutes then broil for another 20.

Easy Peasy and QUICK prep.

*note: feel free to double the sauce recipe.  I used the above amounts for just 3 thighs because i was just cooking for me and my husband.  If i was cooking the whole package of chicken - I'd double the recipe because I'm a saucy person.

 Make Sauce

Put in the oven - 450 degrees for 40 min total.  

 num num

adapted from http://www.wittyinthecity.com/2011/08/man-pleasing-chicken/ which was adapted from Trader Joes cook book.

Bourbon Chicken / Shoyu Chicken

Bourbon Chicken

aka Shoyu Chicken

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup water

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

(optional but good)

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

(optional)

1 teaspoon ground paprika (optional)

5 pounds skinless chicken thighs

Easy and Yummy chicken.  Mix all ingredients together.  Coat chicken well.  Seal in either  a ziploc bag or a tupperware to marinate the chicken for an hour.

Cook with all marinade in a casserole dish at 450 degrees for 40 minutes.  At 20 minutes you can turn to broil if you want.  I did mine in a casserole dish (below) and used the juices to pour over rice. Feel free to double the sauce ingredients to have more to pour over rice.  Alternatively, you can grill the chicken for 15 minutes.

recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Baked Ziti / Rotini (secret ingredient - Bacon!)

                               Before cheese and oven                                        after

• 1 pound ground beef 
• 1/2 package Bacon & Bacon fat 
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 can Rotel, undrained
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup Pace Picante salsa
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced (divided)
• 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning 
• 1/2 teaspoon Johnny's Seasoning Salt
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 8 ounces ziti or Rotini, cooked and drained
• handful of pre-shredded cheddar
• grated parmesan
• Parmesan/Ramano Mix
• 1/2 teaspoon oil
• dried parsley (garnish)

Cook bacon then set aside keeping the fat.  

Saute onion, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, italian seasoning, and pepper in bacon fat and oil until onions are soft and aromatic. Add Rotel, Pace, tomato Sauce. Season to taste.  add 1/4 cup grated parmesan. Stir. 

Boil noodles, drain.  

Cook beef separately in garlic, Montreal Steak Seasoning and Johnny's Seasoning Salt, drain. Add beef to sauce, stir. mix in handful of shredded cheddar.  Add noodles to sauce, stir.  Pour in baking dish.  Top with grated parmesan and parmesan/ramano mix (shredded) and parsley.  Bake until cheese on top is melted.