Southern Fried Chicken Sliders with Jalapeno Peach Compote | Friday Night Bites

Okay, I have a confession.  I am a bit fascinated with anything southern.  I have yet to visit the states on my bucket list, but I know that will get there someday soon.  With a long holiday weekend behind us, I took a couple days vacation before the long weekend to unwind, catch up on household chores and do some cooking.  This week’s Friday Night Bites has been on my list for quite a long while and so happy to finally be able to check it off the list.

I love fried chicken but seldom partake since it is not the healthiest food.  So when I do indulge, it is surely a treat.  Despite there being quite a few steps to making these beauties, it was well worth every minute. I would suggest as a time saver to make the compote a day prior along with bathing the chicken in the buttermilk – it just gets better with time.

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Pan Roasted Chicken and Spring Vegetables

Hubby and I are avid TV watchers. Over the years, several of our favorites have come and gone. It is always with mixed emotions, when we sit down to a series finale – curiosity, sadness, happiness, intrigue and wonderment. Last Wednesday was no exception with another series finale.

If any of you were hooked for the last nine years on One Tree Hill, then you can relate. For the last nine years, we sat on the couch watching the characters develop, grow and learn many valueable life lessons. One Tree Hill was more than just a teen sensation; it was an inspirational show that shared many emotions and lessons.

The last scene in the series finale showed the group head to the high school auditorium for a basketball game with Nathan’s son, Jamie. Jamie has now been propelled to high school and followed his father’s love of basketball, while adorning a number 12 jersey – the same number his father wore. If you a follower of the show, this is pivotal.

The camera pans to all of the primary characters as they recite inspirational words that sum up the nine seasons. Thought I would share it with all of you, since most folks can relate to the message.

Nathan: One day you’re 17 and planning for someday. And then quietly and without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And then someday is yesterday. And this is your life.

Haley: We spend so much time wanting, pursuing, wishing but ambition is good. Chasing things with integrity is good. Dreaming.

Brooke: If you had a friend you’d never see again, what would you say? If you could do one last thing for someone you love, what would it be? Say it. Do it. Don’t wait. Nothing lasts forever.

Mouth: Make a wish and place in your heart. Anything you want. Everything you want.

Millie: Do you have it? Good. Now go believe it to come true.

Quinn: You never know where the next miracle is going to come from.

Clay: The next memory. The next smile. The next wish come true.

Chase: But if you believe, it is right around the corner.

Julian: You open your heart and mind to the possibility of it. To the certainty of it.

Skills: You just might get the thing you are wishing for.

Julian: The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it.

Brooke: So make your wish. Do you have it?

Nathan: Good. Now believe in it.

Haley: With all your heart.

One Tree Hill is now complete. A television chapter closed. Many lessons were taught and many characters we grew to love or despise had some finality attached to them. The good news is that fresh and innovative shows are consistently being created. With the hope of many more characters to fall in love with and new lessons to be learned.

Okay, now that you have endured my One Tree Hill fascination, onto the food portion of the program – I mean blog post. I have been inspired by leeks lately. The idea of creating a leek infused chicken broth to house pan roasted chicken intrigued me. Next I thought how I can highlight spring. With the addition of aromatic shitake mushrooms and English peas, it just rounded out this tasty dish. Just think of the possibilities – Salmon with roasted fennel or grilled prawns with the addition of tomatoes and roasted garlic. Enjoy!

Pan Roasted Chicken with Spring Vegetables
Serves 4

Chicken

2 Large boneless chicken breast, cut length wise
Salt and pepper
Flour
Olive oil

With each piece of chicken, lightly pound with a meat mallet to increase tenderness. Season with salt and pepper and lightly coat in flour. Repeat for all four pieces of chicken. In a large skillet, add about ¼ cup of olive oil and heat on medium high. Add chicken breasts and sear on each side for about one minute each. Add to an oven that is pre-heated to 350 degrees. Cook for about 10 to 11 minutes or until all the way cooked through.

Leek Broth

4 C. Chicken stock
2 C. Leeks, cleaned and sliced

Add chicken stock and leeks to a medium pot and heat on medium for about 10 minutes. Let sit for 30 minutes to infuse.

Vegetables

20 Shitake mushrooms, remove stem and cut into pieces
2 C. English peas
2 C. Snap peas
2 C. Grape tomatoes

In a sauce pan, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and cook on medium high heat. Add the shitake mushrooms and cook until soft and fragrant. Remove from pan onto a small bowl.

Add the English peas, snap peas and tomatoes to the leek broth about 5 minutes before chicken is done cooking. Heat for about 4 to 5 minutes on medium.

Assemble

Let chicken rest for about 3 to 4 minutes. You can either serve whole or slice each breast before plating. I cut prior to adding to the plate. Use large bowls for each serving. Lay the chicken breast in the middle of the bowl and then ladle the vegetables evenly among the bowls along with the broth. Sprinkle the cooked shitake mushrooms over each bowl. You can add some parmesan cheese on top or sprinkle with chopped chives. Enjoy!

Mango and Macadamia Chicken

Last week I attended an event at the new Lafayette Library where Martin Yan, of “Yan Can Cook” came to help raise money for the library. Yan Can Cook was founded in 1977 by Master Chef Martin Yan. He is a champion of Asian cuisine and culture. His cooking shows are known around the world and shown in over 50 countries. He has published twenty eight cookbooks, designs cookware, consults on tourism and owns restaurants. Martin Yan is one of the busiest people I have met.

He amazed us with his humor, talent and enthusiasm for food. His knife skills are mind-boggling with the speed and accuracy. He cut a one or two inch cucumber into 64 slices – in a word – impressive. His story telling and humor is what captured my attention. He loves to get the crowd engaged and laughing.

To start the event, he asked questions of the audience and gave away some of his signature goodies. My friend Monica and I worked as a team to answer one of the first questions correctly about the three things that are important when stir-frying. Okay – I know you want to know what they are: (1) a very hot pan (2) cut the ingredients into fairly uniform sizes to create even cooking time and (3) use vegetable oil or one with a high smoke point to cook the meat. He gave us a cutting board that was made out of rice husks. Whoever figured out how to do that was very ingenuous.

Chef Yan was very generous and brought samples of his food for everyone and there was a crowd of over one hundred plus folks. Of course, he has his products available for sale and of course being a collector of cookbooks, I purchased one. The special thing was that he was on hand to personally autograph the cookbook. I seized the moment and had Monica snap a photo with Chef Yan and myself. What a fun night!

The Mango and Macadamia Chicken is from the cookbook Martin Yan Quick & Easy that I purchased that night. I ever so slightly adapted the recipe and enjoyed it the other night. I would recommend adding chunks of onions to kick up the flavor. Enjoy.

Mango and Macadamia Chicken

Marinade
2 t. cornstarch
2 t. soy sauce

¾ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into ½ inch cubes

Sauce
1/3 C. chicken broth
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. rice wine
2 t. sesame oil
1 ½ t. sugar

Cooking items
2 t. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t. red chili flakes
1 t. cornstarch, dissolved in 1 T. water

2 mangos, peeled, pitted and cut into cubes
1/3 C. chopped macadamia nuts

To create the marinade, combine the cornstarch and soy sauce together in a bowl and stir well. Add the chicken and coat well with the marinade. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.

To make the sauce, add all of the ingredients together and stir well. Set aside.

Place a wok or stir fry pan on high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl around. Add the chicken and stir until it is no longer pink in the center. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the sauce along with the cornstarch with water. Continue to stir and the sauce will thicken. Add the mango and stir. Transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle the macadamia nuts on top. Serve immediately.

Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts – cut in half lengthwise (will make eight pieces)
4 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
½ cup flour
1 t. Lowery’s seasoned salt
1 t. pepper
3/4 c. dry white wine
½ c. fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. chicken stock
1/3 c. drained capers
¼ c. chopped chives or parsley

Slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise. Place chicken between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap. Using meat pounder, lightly pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Mix flour, seasoned salt and pepper in a bowl to dredge the chicken breasts. Dip chicken into flour to coat; shake off excess.

Heat 2 T butter and 1 T. olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts to skillet and cook until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to platter; tent with foil to keep warm.

Bring wine, lemon juice and broth to boil in skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in capers, parsley and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add chicken back into sauce and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Beer Can Chicken

A few years ago I purchased a “Beer Can Chicken Rack” and just had to try it. Okay – I did and you know what – It was divine! The BBQ flavor, steam from the beer and the seasonings make a phenomenal combination and a super moist chicken. I put this in the same category as the “deep fried turkey” – you simply must try. I think I found the rack at Target, but go online to find one.

Beer Can Chicken

Ingredients:

3 ½ to 4 lb. Chicken
Favorite rub seasoning
Potato for the neck cavity
½ can beer, any brand (12 oz can)

Cook using indirect heat on a grill. I used a gas grill. The cooking time is between 1 ¼ to 2 hours. Must be covered, so have a grill with a large enough lid to cook the chicken standing.

Prepare and clean a whole chicken, removing the giblets from the cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out. Drain and blot dry with paper towels. Apply generously the rub all over the chicken to the inner and outer portions of the chicken.

Pour out (or drink) half the beer and place the beer can in the middle of the rack and then place the chicken on top of the beer can so it is standing. Stuff a small potato in the neck cavity to seal in the vapors.

Heat the grill on high on just one side, since you will cook the chicken on indirect heat with the lid closed. Cook chicken 1 ¼ to 2 hours or until skin is dark golden brown and crispy. Using a meat thermometer, temperature should reach 180 degrees in the thigh.

Transfer upright to a platter and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove carefully from the beer can. Carve and enjoy.

Chicken Street Tacos

Street Tacos

You might ask: Why are they called street tacos? If you walk down most streets in Mexico, you will smell BBQ steak or chicken. The street vendors are very proud to pass along their family recipes for the street tacos and each one will add that little something different. They are a small, hand held taco that is easy to eat but has tremendous flavor.

1.3 lbs. Chicken Breast (cut each one in half lengthwise)
Package of corn tortillas (5” La Tortilla)
1 medium white onion, small dice
1 Cup cilantro leaves loosely packed, then finely minced

Guacamole
2 Ripe avocados
½ t. Garlic powder
¼ t. Salt (add more after tasting)
4 to 6 grinds freshly ground pepper
1 t. Lime or lemon juice

Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and remove the large seed. Scrape out the avocado from the shell and add to a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until creamy.

Spicy Rub
2 T. Chili powder
2 t. Garlic powder
¼ t. Ground red pepper
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. Salt

In a small bowl add all of the above ingredients and stir.

Assembly:

Prepare the chicken by cutting the breasts in half lengthwise and trimming any fat. Sprinkle the spicy rub on both sides of each piece of chicken. Over a medium to high grill, place the chicken breasts down and cook well. The chicken should cook for about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove and let cool. Cut into small pieces.

Mix the diced onion and cilantro together in a bowl.

Heat the tortillas over medium heat in a large skillet or stovetop griddle.

When ready to prepare, lay the tortilla flat, add chicken, onion/cilantro mixture and then top with the guacamole. You can add your favorite hot sauce. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken with Fresh Corn Salsa

Grilled Chicken with Fresh Corn Salsa

Corn Salsa

1 ½ C. Fresh corn – cut from ears
¾ C. Red bell pepper, small dice
½ C. Red onion, small dice
3 T. Olive oil
2 T. Sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients above to a bowl and mix together. Season with the salt and pepper.

Prepare four chicken breasts. With a mallet, pound each one to help with the tenderness of the chicken. Typically I will coat with olive oil and seasoned salt and fresh ground pepper. Grill until done.

Place on plates and top with the fresh corn salsa. Serve with your favorite vegetable. I thought the snap peas made the plate pop with color and the crunch is fantastic. Simply cook for 3 or 4 minutes with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Great weekday meal!