Fried Chicken with Oven "Fries"

I’ve lived in Atlanta for almost 4 years, and I generally avoid making Southern food. I don’t really like most of it {grits are gross}, but I’ve been dabbling in Paula Deen for some time now. I’m determined to learn how to cook “Southern” since we live down here.

One of my favorite cooking blogs, The Garden Gourmet, is a Southern girl. I love her blog, and her recipes always sound delicious. She was bragging on her fried chicken, so I knew I had to make it for Nathan. You see, fried chicken is on my arch nemesis list. Actually, almost all fried foods are. I’ve tried to fry things, and I have always failed miserably. So this was a huge risk.

Fried Chicken {inspired by The Garden Gourmet}

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts
4 cups buttermilk
3 cups flour
1 tbs tarragon
1 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

Rinse and dry chicken breasts. Poke 3-4 holes in each. Place in a tight container {I used the bag the chicken breaks came in} and cover completely with buttermilk. Put in fridge for 2-24 hours {I did 24 hours}.
Preheat the over to 350 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Make sure the oil is at least 275 degrees.
In a bowl, mix the flour, garlic powder, and tarragon. One at a time, cover each piece of chicken completely in the flour mixture.
Place 2 pieces of chicken in the hot oil. Cook 5 minutes on each side until crispy or golden brown. Repeat until all of the pieces have been cooked.
Put a piece of aluminum foil on an edged broiling pan. Spray with cooking oil. When the chicken is done in the pan, place on the aluminum foil.
Once all of the chicken is on the pan, cook in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Grade: A

Comments: Nathan loved this! He immediately told me to make it again. We’ll for sure be adding this into the dinner rotation. The best part was that it was easy. I finally fried something successfully! The best part? It made the kitchen smell incredible!

Oven “Fries” {from Weight Watchers: New Complete Cookbook}

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds baking potatoes
3/4 tsp kosher salt + some for seasoning
1/2 tsp sugar
4 tsp oil
1 tsp paparika

Directions:

Peel and cut the potatoes in 1/2 inch strips.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees; put a piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking oil.
In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 1/4 tsp salt, and the sugar with cold water to cover. Soak 15 minutes; drain and blot dry.
In another large bowl, toss the potatoes with the oil and paparika. Place on the baking sheet.
Bake, turning the potatoes over as they brown, until cooked through and crisp, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with salt.

Grade: B

Comments: Mine never got crispy. They tasted more like baked potato strips. Still very delicious, but definitely not french fries. We ate them with ketchup, and it was delicious! I had to eat two servings. I’m probably going to make them again but make a few changes so they turn out crispier!