Herb Encrusted Chicken

Herb Encrusted Chicken

I'm Southern, we fry food, nuff said...well something like that.

I love finding ways to take that wholesome comfort food (you know that stuff you were raised on but turns out its bad for you) and make it a little healthier without losing all the great flavours.

This is my fried chicken recipe, it's a little unconventional compared to the way others may make theirs but I like it, it taste great and it's rather simple to make.

Here's what you'll need:

I use wholemeal flour, salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, garlic, panko breadcrumbs and peanut oil.

Oh and of course the chicken would help. Normally I use our own homegrown chicken but since we haven't gotten our flock set up yet then go down to your local store or farmer's market and buy some chicken. I like the thighs.

You can save money by buying the ones with the skin on them, which you would think would be essential to making good fried chicken right? Wrong!

First things first, take it all off...the skin that is and trim the fat off as well.

Next add 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of Panko, 2 1/2 Tbsp of Italian seasoning, a sprinkle of garlic, salt and pepper to season (I use about 1 1/2 Tbsp and 2 tsp of salt). Mix it all together!

Then whip up a few eggs in a bowl, like so.

Dip the chicken in the egg

Add chicken to the flour mixture and coat well

Add about 3/4"-1" of Peanut Oil to a large deep skillet and heat on medium-high heat until a splash of water sizzles or until it reaches 400*F.

  

Cook roughly 8-10 minutes on each side until deep golden brown, lay on paper towels  but do not cover. Even though the skins are removed, we added Panko which gives the chicken a crunchy outer coating.

Enjoy

Coconut Prawns

Coconut Prawns

When I originally had the idea to start blogging it was suppose to be a place to organize new ideas, recipes, interesting life events etc. Obviously with our recent migration to Australia the Life events category has taken center stage here. Well that's about to change!!! While I will still be including fun and interesting things from our new life down under I will also be posting craft, gardening and lots of Foodie stuff!

Starting with a very easy and incredibly tasty Coconut Prawns recipe.

Here's what you'll need:

1 Kilo (about 2 pounds) of large Uncooked Shrimp or Prawns

2 1/2 cups of baking mix (divided)

1 cup water

1 package (8 oz) of moist sweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1 cup of Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Peanut Oil

For those who aren't familiar with Baking mix it is a simple mix to make in bulk and keep around.

6 cups of AP flour

3 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tbsp salt

3/4 cup shortening

Remember you only need 2 1/2 cups of the mix for this recipe.

Now there's lots of different ways to enjoy coconut shrimp, they all share the basics which is coconut, a batter to adhere the coconut and of course the shrimp/prawns. 

I start off with 1Kilo of large uncooked Banana Prawns. These prawns have a mild sweet flavour and are great to use with spices and full flavoured recipes. But any raw large bodied shrimp will do. Often if you buy them still intact and clean them at home, they're much cheaper!

Remove their heads, shell and legs and de-vain them. Leave the tail shell on as that makes them easier to handle. Give them a good rinse then butterfly them by taking a sharp knife down the back, be careful not to press completely through or you'll just split your prawn in half.

Next to prepare your batter stir 1 1/4 cup of baking mix with 1-1 1/2 cup of water in a bowl. I like it a little runnier than pancake mix.

Combine the coconut and panko together in a separate shallow dish.

Then stir the remaining 1 1/4 cup of baking mix with 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp red pepper into another bowl.

Coat all prawns in dry mixture then dip in wet mixture allowing the excess to drip off, then dip in coconut mix.

Place all coated shrimp on a baking sheet then place in freezer for about 10-15 minutes. This allows the 

coconut batter to stick really well to the shrimp.

You can use a deep fryer or a dutch oven with 3-4 inches of peanut oil heated to 350*F/176*C.

Cook shrimp 6-8 in a batch at a time in oil for about 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown.

Can be served with cocktail sauce, mustard sauce or no sauce at all.

Pair with a fresh snap peas and corn on the cob for a complete and satisfying meal.

Serves 6-8 people.

                                       Recipe adapted from Southern Living Cookbook

Cast Iron Pizza

Dough:

6 cups of AP Flour
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cups Warm water
1 1/2 tsp dry Yeast

Toppings:

4 Cheese Blend
Pepperoni
Mushrooms
anything else you want to eat :)


Mix flour, salt and oil in a food processor with a dough blade. Place yeast in 2 cups of warm water (no hotter than 110*F), soak for about 5 minutes then stir and add to flour mixture in food processor. If dough is really wet and sticky, add 1/4 cup more of flour and mix in processor.

In a large bowl drizzle more olive oil around to lightly coat, pour dough mixture into bowl and toss over a few times to coat in the oil. This helps prevent the dough from sticking to the bowl as it rises.

Cover dough with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm area to allow the dough to rise. Usually an hour.

Remove wrap or towel and place on a floured surface, knead gently a few times (not too much).

Divide dough into 4 sections, depending on your size pans.

Heat pan in oven on highest setting (usually around 260*C or 500*F) for about 20 minutes, I usually do this once I'm preparing and kneading the dough. Then roll out your dough and place it in a hot pan. Gently shape to fit the pan...remember it's HOT, be careful!

Place pan back in Oven on high for 10-15 minutes. You don't want to brown your dough just cook it slightly. Just ignore my little brown spot! lol

Next it's time for toppings. Every now and again I go for making my own sauce, it's easy enough but I didn't have everything for it, so I cheated. Oh well :) I like a Garlic and Wine sauce but use whatever you like. Green Peppers, Mushrooms, Salami, Pepperoni, Sausage etc all make great toppings. 

Bake on high in oven for 20 minutes or until gold and bubbly.

Enjoy!