Fried Chicken!!!!

I love some good ol' fried chicken and there is so many fantastic ways to make it! I will try and share many of mine but will start with a fairly easy (I use the word "easy" loosely) one. I stress to you again that I am one of those cooks that does not really measure, I try and give a good idea as to the amount - sorry!

For this recipe you will need:

Toast - About 6 slices - I prefer to toast bread the day before so it has a chance to get really hardened - you use this for your breadcrumbs. Yes, you can use packaged but I do prefer to make my own, seems so pointless to pay the price of breadcrumbs when you can get a loaf of bread for $.99!!!! All you do is smash the hardened toast until you have nice even small crumbs. A little tip, I use a medium sized metal strainer over a bowl and keep putting the toast through that until a nice fine crumb mix.

Pancake Mix - I have only used Bisquick type mixes and approx 1/4 a cup, sometimes more depending on the amount of bread crumbs

Chicken Breast: I use a nice package (2lbs) of boneless skinless and cut it into chunks - cooks nice and even as well as being easier to manage when frying in a pan on the stove-top.

Ranch or Bleu Cheese Dressing- or both - I go through about a bottle total for this.

Garlic and Onion Powder, Sage, Salt and Pepper (or you can even use/add a dressing dry mix like Italian or Ranch - this does change the flavor quite a bit for a twist)

PREPARATION OF CHICKEN:

After cutting the chicken breast, place in bowl and cover with your choice of the Ranch or Bleu Dressing, adding some of the dry spices - (garlic/onion powders, salt/pepper and sage) use minimal amounts of sage - a dash will do - unless you are familiar with it and feel safe in using more. Mix the chicken/spice/dressing together and let sit in fridge - I let mine marinate for a couple hours. The marinated dressing is part of your coating mixture so you won't need eggs or milk!

PREPARATION OF BREAD CRUMB (BREADING) MIXTURE:

Combine your bread crumbs, pancake mix (dry of course!) and another bit (not too much or you will have a high burn factor with your breading) of your dry spices. Keep your bread crumbs in a large bowl. I get out another bowl to bread and add about half of mix for breading then add it in bit by bit as coating so not to have a dredgy (for lack of wording right now!) breadcrumb mix.

GETTING READY TO START FRYING!!!!

I do it on the stovetop right now seeing as how our fryer was lent out only to never have been brought back - but hey I have no problem takin' it old school! For my oil on this one I use a combination of shortening and veggie oil heated in very large saucepan.

Stir up the chicken so as to get another nice coating of the dressing marinade, in a seperate bowl put a portion (about half) of your breadcrumb mix - bread your chicken chunks, adding more breadcrumbs as needed.

I am careful not to put all my breadcrumb mix for chicken in bowl at once for two reasons:

1. Your breadcrumbs get NASTY!!

2. You may have leftover breadcrumbs you could save but if you drag raw chicken through them all you can't!

Fry them in batches, your size will be up to how many can fit nicely in your fryer without sticking together. Do not over handle them - they will get soggy. I usually go for about 8 minutes, 4 each side. Cut open your largest of the batch to confirm done if in question.

Enjoy!

For some sauces - fast sauces these can be whipped up fast and according to your tastes:

Hot Sauce and either your Ranch or Bleu Cheese - just mix together tasting as you go to find your notch!

Hot Sauce & Butter - melt your butter and add your hot sauce - again according to your own amounts and tastes.

Melted Butter, Garlic & Parmesean - all to your own tastes. I melt a stick of butter, press a few bulbs of garlic into butter while melting and finish it with grated parmesean an KISS KISS!!

Processed Pineapple, Butter & Red Pepper: I blend a can of pineapples (have juice set aside in saucepan) then add to the saucepan with it's juice, a bit of butter, red pepper to taste - mmmm mmmm this one is savory!

Hope you enjoy!