Month-of-Chicken: NotFried Chicken

Do love the crispy coating on a piece of fried chicken about as much as what lies underneath? Me, too. But, sigh, we ALL know, don’t we, that that is not the wisest food choice.

What’s a tongue to do?

Well, you can simulate that crispy crunch with an oven-baked version that is savory and fights back more than limp skin. Try this one tonight, and see if it doesn’t satisfy that hankering for fried chicken sorta, kinda.

NotFried Chicken (serves 6)

1 c buttermilk

6 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

3 T olive oil

2 clove garlic, minced

1 c seasoned dry bread crumbs

1 c Asiago cheese, shredded

1 t tarragon, dried

Soak chicken in buttermilk for several hours.

Preheat oven to 350º. Pam a baking dish.

Mix oil and garlic. In another bowl, combine bread crumbs with the cheese and tarragon.

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Spread oil mixture over each piece then press into bread crumb mixture. Place in baking dish. Pour any remaining crumb mixture over top of the chicken. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until juices run clear (about 165º).

I like to serve this with whole wheat egg noodles tossed with a sautéed mixture of olive oil, garlic slices, and green onions.

DH’s Rating: 4 Tongues Up. Moist, tender with a crispy crust. He didn’t like the tarragon flavor (“too green”). Next time I’ll use basil.

Month-of-Chicken: Cocoa Chili Chicken

Chocolate for Valentine’s Day, but of course. And some spicy cocoa to heat up your evening is good for romance. (So they say. Hey, have you every wondered who “they”are?)

This is one of my company chicken dishes because I can make it so far in advance that were it not for the delicious aroma permeating the room, no one would know, from my clean kitchen, that I was cooking.

Cocoa Chili Chicken (Serves 2 with leftovers)

4 chicken thighs

2 T olive oil

2 T brown sugar

2 T cocoa chili powder (in the spice section-or make your own)

1 T dried tarragon

Preheat oven to 250º. A low oven is best for this dish.

Mix together oil, sugar, and cocoa chili powder. Mush the paste all over the chicken. Place in baking dish and sprinkle on the tarragon.

Bake for 2-2 ½ hours. (It’s done in two hours, but this low temperature allows you to hold the food for the length of time you need without it drying out.)

I typically serve this with fruited and nutted rice, a Caesar Salad, and good bread.

You don’t have to work that hard to put an elegant and delicious dinner on the table.

For dessert, try this Hot Chocolate Soup http://bit.ly/zw4N9F (or make Hot Chocolate Ice Cream from the soup http://bit.ly/ABcqW2 ).

DH’s Tongues Up Rating: 5 Tongues Up. I could probably make this dish every other night, DH loves it so much. But it was the first time Big Mama had some. She almost licked her plate!