#80 :: Crispy Baked Rosemary-Garlic Chicken

LISA, if you're reading, this one's for you! :) I know you don't have time for complicated dinner recipes.....and I know you like Shake & Bake......so here's a "gourmet grown up" Shake & Bake for you! As a matter of fact, while Jamie and I were in the kitchen cooking I told him all about our tiny apartment on Audelia.... and how you would make Shake & Bake and spaghetti for dinner all the time. Good times!

Ingredients

• 12 chicken legs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 stems rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
• 4 cups panko bread crumbs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a sheet tray in the oven to preheat.

Wash and trim the chicken legs of any excess fat. Mix the garlic, rosemary and panko together in a shallow rimmed dish and season well with salt and pepper.

Crack the eggs into a similar dish, add the milk and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. In another dish add the flour and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Take the chicken legs and 1 at a time, dredge in the flour, then the egg wash and then coat well with the rosemary-garlic panko bread crumbs. (Cook's Note: you could also bread the legs by putting the bread crumbs in a large plastic bag and shaking the legs in the crumbs inside the bag.) Lay the chicken legs out on a tray lined with parchment paper, as you work. Refrigerate the legs for about 15 to 20 minutes for the breading to set.

Remove the hot sheet tray from the oven and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil. Arrange the chicken legs carefully on the tray, spacing them out evenly (the chicken will sizzle when added to the hot oil). Roast until the chicken legs are golden and crispy, about 35 to 40 minutes Remove the chicken from the oven to a serving platter. Season with salt and serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Recipe from Tyler's Ultimate on Food Network

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5

#42 :: Chicken Wings *Super Bowl*

We made a lot of chicken wings for the Super Bowl..... I mean....a LOT! I bought 2 four lb. bags of wings - which I think equals out to about 96 wings....and we ate them for 3 days afterwards! (No Monday meal to post, because we had leftover chicken wings!) We made the chicken wings plain, and served the sauces on the side so people could choose their own.

The first round of wings we tried Panko breadcrumbs for the breading. Unfortunately, the Panko bread crumbs don't hold up in the frying oil for 10 minutes. Jamie liked them, but they came out a little too dark for my liking. So, we used the regular flour/egg/flour method.

I saw a dredging tip on Guy's Big Bite (Food Network) that I shared with Jamie. To keep from getting goopy hands, use 1 hand for wet ingredients and the other for dry. Keeps the mess to a minimum! Jamie said it took a few tries to get the hang of it, but then it came natural and he quickly dredged our 100 wings!



Ingredients

• (2) 4 lb. bags of frozen chicken wings {thawed}
  
• Approx. 2 cups of flour
• 6 eggs
• Salt &Pepper to taste
  

Here's the dredging station! We tried the Panko bread crumbs first {as you can see in the photo}, but then switched to flour.

Directions

Preheat oil to 375. Defrost and pat dry the chicken wings. {A dry wing is a crispy wing!}

Set up your dredging station -- 1 bowl of flour (about 1 cup), 1 bowl of 3 beaten eggs, and nother bowl of flour (about 1 cup).

Dredge each wing, making sure the entire wing is covered -- first dip it in the flour, then dip in the egg, then in the flour again.

Fry at 375 for 10 minutes.

Makes a boat load of servings! {About 96 wings}

Recipe from: Many different places! {and Jamie says"common sense"} lol

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

#28 :: Fried Zucchini

We had finger food night for dinner because we're testing out some recipes for Super Bowl snacks. This was definitely a good one to consider!

Ingredients

• Olive oil, for frying
• 1 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3 medium zucchini, cut into 3-inch long by 1/2-inch wide strips

Directions

Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F.

Stir 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, the panko, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Whisk the eggs in another medium bowl to blend. Working in batches, dip the zucchini in flour, then in eggs to coat completely and allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Coat the zucchini in the panko mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely. Place the zucchini strips on a baking sheet.

When the oil is hot, working in batches, fry the zucchini sticks until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried zucchini to paper towels and drain.

Arrange the fried zucchini on a platter. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe from Everyday Italian on Food Network.

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#11 :: Slamma Jamma Chicken Parmesana

A word of warning - don't leave these chicken breasts brining for longer than 30 minutes! I left my first one quite a bit longer than that, so it came out waaay too salty! Luckily I was doing a practice run with the first chicken breast, just to see how it would came out. I didn't want to ruin the whole bag! Thank goodness the rest turned out much better! Don't skip the brining process, it really does makes all the difference....but as I learned, don't leave it in too long either...brining timing is everything!

Ingredients

• 4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless, trimmed chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 1/4 pound Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for garnish, grated
• Olive oil, for frying (about 2 cups)
• 1 pound penne rigate, cooked al dente
• Tomato Sauce (Pasta Sauce)
  
• 1/4 cup minced Italian parsley, for garnish

Directions

Lightly pound the chicken breasts to 1/2-inch thickness. Combine the kosher salt, sugar, and 1 quart of water in a 1-gallon size resealable plastic bag; shake until dissolved. Add the chicken breasts and soak at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Place the flour in a medium bowl. Remove the chicken from the brine. Shake off excess moisture and, with tongs, lightly dredge the chicken in the flour. Shake off the excess flour and transfer to a large plate.

Mix the eggs and milk in medium bowl and whisk thoroughly. In a separate bowl combine the bread crumbs, oregano, basil, parsley, sea salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the egg and milk mixture with tongs and let excess mixture drain off. Now dredge the chicken into the bread crumb mixture, and lightly pat down in the bread crumbs to adhere.

Preheat the broiler.

Let the breaded chicken sit for 5 minutes before frying. In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, add enough olive oil to come 1/3 up the side of the chicken. Cook the chicken in batches until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan when cooked and place on a sheet tray. Repeat with remaining chicken.

When all the chicken is cooked, sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the top. Place under the broiler until the cheese melts and is golden brown.

Serve chicken over pasta and ladle tomato sauce on top. Garnish with additional Parmesan and parsley.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe from Guy's Big Bite on Food Network.

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars