In fact, Grandmother was a professional chef, and we all grew up eating all sorts of foods. Grandmother and mother introduced us to cuisine from many lands. This is something that I hadn't fully realized until I got married. For some reason, I assumed that everyone had grown up being served everything from eggrolls to grits. I can still see the rose patterned china platter, and can smell the heady goodness of those drumsticks. Grandma always made extra of those for the kids. Rarely was there even a crumb left on that platter by morning!
Alas, I may love fried chicken; but, it doesn't love me. However, saying goodbye to that crispy goodness just isn't something that I was willing to do. It would be like letting go of a piece of my childhood. Ok, maybe that's weird. Deal with it, LOL!
So without further ado, here is Grandma's Sunday Fried Chicken "Redeux"
NOTE: This will not produce a greasy, salty, fried chicken experience. It will provide a crispy, heart healthy version of that experience.
One broiler/fryer cut into 8 pcs, skin and excess fat removed
2 cups of buttermilk - only about an 1/8c ends up in the finished product
6-7 oz regular panko bread crumbs - only about 4oz ends up in product
4 egg whites, but only abut 1.5 end up in product
3 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp of salt
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder (make sure that this is garlic powder, not garlic salt)
Spices are to taste, and the paprika also adds color. If you want your panko a little darker from the get-go, add a bit more. Just remember that too much will give it a bitter taste.
1. Add chick pieces to the buttermilk and let rest for and hour or so.
2. Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Line a sheet pan with foil, and place a cooling rack on top. Mine nests completely in the sheet pan. You could use something similar, they idea is that the chicken is elevated. This isn't mandatory, but will do loads to lower the fat content of the finished product.
4. Combine panko and spices (I like to shake them together in a plastic pan then pour them into a pie plate or other shallow dish).
5. Whisk together the egg whites and EVOO until it starts to form an emulsion (lots of little white bubbles).
6. Removed pcs one at a time and dip in the egg mixture then press on all sides into the panko mixture. Place on the cooking rack. Place larger pcs to the outside of the rack, smaller pcs to the middle.
7. Spray pcs with non-stick cooking spray, or olive oil from a Misto type device.
8. Bake in oven until golden brown on outside and juices run clear when pierced. At least 30 mins, depends up on the size of your largest pcs.
Notes:
If it doesn't look quite as golden as you like it when "done," spritz with olive oil or non-stick spray again and broil for a few seconds. Remember that we eat with our eyes, so that yummy brownness can be important.
If you cook this in a shallow dish the panko won't crisp up for you. Even elevated, the bottom won't be as crispy as the top.
Panko, is fun to use and really is an easy way to faux fry foods! If you can't find panko at your grocer, you can try using corn flakes instead. Expect to see this type of application again.
Here is the nutritional label as generated when I added this to my recipes at Nutrimirror.com!
Compare to a similar serving of regular fried chicken:
Chicken Breast, Fried
Serving Size 1 each Calories 360
—
Trans Fat 0 g 38%—
Sugars 0 g If I can dig up a pic of the chicken, I'll post that too! I actually made this a long time ago.
Here is a pic of my Mom and Grandmother though, one of the last taken of them together. Grandmother was on oxygen by then:
This is why I am doing this! Love you, Grandma. Love you, Mom...
