Fried Pork Chops

I feel like I have neglected this blog.  Not on purpose.  Just been busy.

But I am still cooking.  Well, mostly.  I haven't cooked dinner for the last two nights but that is because I have some other food projects going on.

However, the other night hubby was out of town, and I still cooked a real meal.

I think that should count for something...a gold star or a pat on the back at least.

Fried pork chops and roasted potatoes, rolls...

Yum.

I fry chicken on occasion but haven't fried pork much.

This week that changed.

I am pretty sure I went up like five notches in my oldest child's eyes...fried pork.  He was smiling from ear to ear.

This is the recipe I followed...

Note that the original author is cooking like 14 pork chops.

I cut that about in half.

Unfortunately I forgot to cut the rest of the recipe in half.

Not a big deal but I wasted some ingredients.

Oops.

So here is my recipe for 6 or 7 pork chops...

Ingredients:
6 or 7 thin boneless pork chops

2 eggs

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I used a homemade version)

3/4 to 1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 Tbsp salt

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp pepper (I used freshly ground peppercorns)

About 1 cup oil

Directions:

 Heat oil over medium high heat in a skillet.

Prepare egg wash by stirring eggs and Worcestershire sauce in a shallow bowl.

In another bowl, mix the flour and seasonings.

Dip pork chops in egg wash then coat both sides with flour mixture.

Place in skillet (do not crowd) and cook for 3-5 minutes on one side until it begins to brown.  Flip over and cook for another 3-5 minutes until gold brown.  You don't want to mess with them much; you will lose the coating.  And of course, the coating is the good stuff.

Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. 

Obviously, this is not something you want to eat frequently nor is it healthy.

But once in a while, it is a treat...

Enjoy!

Fried Chicken and Gravy

Last night, other than the green beans, we had a meal of Pinterest recipes.  I have plenty to share this week, just from one meal!  (When I have time, that is...my school year is wrapping up and it is a bit crazy busy around here)

Anyway,  I have made fried chicken before but when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I was eager to try it.  I mean, gravy too?  That is just icing on the cake.  Or gravy on the chicken.

I followed the recipe fairly closely but next time I make this (and there WILL be a next time), I will make some minor changes.

Chicken Ingredients:
Chicken breasts or tenderloins (I used a couple pounds of tenderloins)

3 cups of flour

salt and pepper to taste

1 sleeve of saltine crackers, crushed into little tiny pieces

1 Tbsp bacon fat (I have started saving bacon fat from when I "bake" bacon and freezing it...came in handy!)

Vegetable or canola oil (as needed)

Chicken Directions:
If possible, "brine" the chicken by placing it in a large ziplock bag filled with water and salt.  Keep in the fridge for a few hours.

Drain the chicken, then pound it with a mallet to make it thinner.  

Meanwhile, heat the bacon fat and the oil (I just did poured oil until the skillet had at least an inch in it) into the skillet.  Heat on medium heat.

Mix the flour and cracker crumbs together in a bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste. (The original recipe suggested 2 cups of flour with salt/pepper in one bowl, and then 1 cup of flour mixed with the cracker crumbs in another for a second dip. Honestly, in the future, I would just dip once (one bowl with 2 cups of flour and 1 sleeve of crushed cracker crumbs).    Saves on dirtying up the dishes. :)

Dip the chicken into the flour mixture(s).

Add to the skillet (when hot), making sure not to crowd them.

Heat/cook on one side until golden brown, then flip it.

When it has cooked through, remove from oil (and then add another).  We put a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet and let them sit on the cooling rack (covered by aluminum foil to keep warm).

Gravy Ingredients:
1/4 cup pan drippings (from frying chicken)

1/4 cup flour (you can use 1/4 cup reserved flour from the chicken but I just got a new 1/4 cup flour)

1 1/2 cups milk

salt and pepper to taste
 
Gravy Directions:
Remove about 1/4 cup of pan drippings from the skillet.  Heat in a saucepan or another skillet (or you can do the same one but I did it in a saucepan so my gravy would be ready when my chicken was) over low or low/medium heat.

Add in 1/4 cup flour.  Stir frequently until nice and smooth.

Slowly add the milk.

Continue to stir as it thickens.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat until heated through.

Serve over chicken and/or mashed potatoes.

YUM!

Butter Cream Chicken

We have actually have had this recipe twice now.  I don't know why I didn't blog about it the first time because we loved it then, and we loved it again last week.  Maybe because my gravy wasn't as thick as I thought it should be.  Or my camera wasn't on hand.  Or the stars weren't aligned.  Who knows.

Last week I was trying to figure out the menu. I needed a good chicken recipe.  My husband came in and offered to help me think of one.  He had one in mind but I couldn't remember which recipe it was. So we scrolled through Pinterest together until we found this recipe under my "Tried and True". 

So I made it this past week.

And I made what I thought was plenty.

Except apparently it wasn't.

There was NONE left.

I almost started crying when I realized that.

None.

I really had hoped for a little bit for my lunch the next day.

My family has already told me that next time I must make more.

Yes, it is that good.

It is a little time consuming but worth it.  I promise.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts (I used my usual chicken tenderloins...they are so easy to cut to me)

1 1/2 sleeves Ritz crackers (I used low fat), ground into crumbs.  I usually throw them in a bag and pound them with a mallet. This time I threw them in my mini food processor.  Oh wow. How did I not know how easy that was???

Olive Oil

1 cup chicken broth

4 Tbsp butter (I did use my Smart Balance since it is lighter)

1 cup + 2 Tbsp half and half (I used the light)

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 Tbsp cornstarch

salt and pepper


Directions:
Cut the chicken into small chunks (much easier with kitchen scissors).  Place in a plastic ziplock and pound flat with a mallet or whatever you have on hand like canned food.  Just so you know, I am pretty sure pounding with a mallet is therapeutic.  


Put the cracker crumbs in the ziplock bag with the chicken and shake your cares away (while coating the chicken).

I usually add a little salt and pepper at this point, all two times I have made it and all. :)

Add about 5 Tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium high.

When the oil is nice and hot, throw the first batch of chicken into the skillet.  I did two batches for this meal. I should have done three.

Cook until the bottom is a nice golden brown color.  Then flip the chicken over.  That should be about 3-4 minutes each side.  Obviously, when you are working with chicken, you don't want any pink.

After the first batch is done (I put mine on a plate with a paper towel to absorb any extra oil so that it doesn't end up on my hips...), add a little more oil and cook the second batch in the same manner.

After that batch is done, cover with aluminum foil.  Now it is time for the sauce.

Add the butter and the chicken broth to the skillet.  Don't worry about any little extra crispies on the bottom. They just add flavor to the gravy.

Whisk the mixture around a bit.

Add 1 cup half and half and the dried thyme.  Whisk around.  Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the 2 Tbsp half and half and the 2 Tbsp cornstarch.  Stir together until smooth. 

Pour the cornstarch mixture into the skillet and whisk around.

Let it come to a boil again.

When it is thick enough, add a little salt and pepper to taste and serve with the chicken.

The only trouble I had making this recipe was getting my gravy to thicken.  I kind of wonder if it is because I use all light ingredients.  To solve this, hubby and I just threw in a little more cornstarch to thicken it up.

The only change I may make is next time I may try making the gravy in a small saucepan while cooking the chicken and adding it to the skillet at the very end.  That way my chicken will still be hot, and the gravy will have more time to thicken.  I don't know if that will work but it is worth a try.

Regardless, it is good stuff.

We ate it with brown rice, salad, and cheesy breadsticks.

And like I said, there was none left.

None.

Reba

Fried Pork Bites

Just a reminder: I never claimed to be a food photographer.

Anyway, I decided that I wanted to spend more quality time with the kids. One on one. That is not easy in this house. One way I decided to make this effort was with food. After all, isn't food the universal language? Plus, as an added bonus, maybe my kids will pick up on some important cooking skills that will help them when they move out of the house one day. :)

I started last week with the firstborn (still need to share that recipe). This week was Child 2's turn. She had it all planned out last week I think. That is what she does. Poor Child 4. He doesn't think he will ever get his turn.

Sidenote: These are "guaranteed" cook with mom times. That doesn't mean we won't take advantage of the spontaneous moments, like when child 3 helped me make Pizza Snowballs the other day.

Anyway, Child 2 had this at school once for a family tree recipe activity. This recipe came from her friend whose mom R also happens to work at our school. It is a German recipe or at least comes from the German side of the family. It probably has a better name; I need to ask her. It wasn't on the recipe. So until then, I have made up my own. :)

Unfortunately, Child 2 poured so much of her energy into her dessert (she has a HUGE sweet tooth) that hubby and I ended up doing most of the work for this. But if she hadn't been busy baking, she would have been able to help with this. I would consider it kid-friendly. And it is easy and quick.

Enough of the chatter. Here is the recipe:
Fried Pork Bites

Ingredients:
1 lb pork tenderloin (we used a 2 lb pork tenderloin...I am wondering if the the breakfast thin pork tenders wouldn't work too; they would probably be cheaper)

1 sleeve crackers (I used Ritz. I doubled just to make sure we had enough but one would have been fine)

1 egg

1 tbsp parsley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 cups vegetable oil (I used my normal blend just to feel healthier :)

Directions:
Crush the crackers. We put them in a gallon size ziplock and pounded away :). Add the parsley, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Cut the pork into bite size chunks (like nugget size). Pound with a meat tenderizer to flatten.

Dip the pork pieces into one beaten egg.

Add to the bag of cracker mix.

Shake away.

Use tongs to remove the pork from the cracker mix and add to oil in the skillet. (I would recommend heating the oil first so it is hot and ready to fry)

Cook about 2 1/2 minutes per side.

I think with our meat (2 lbs), it took about three batches to get it all cooked.

Enjoy.

I am beginning to see a pattern here. Out of the two times the kids have picked meals, they both have picked fried foods (which is very rare around here) and not exactly the cheapest meats. The first one chose catfish which costs a lot right now, and then the pork tenderloin was a bit more than we would spend on a typical meal. I think we may need to have a course on eating frugally AND healthy.

Oh, it was recommended to serve this with gravy. I didn't. I was already working on the cheesy hashbrown potatoes, Parmesan Pull-Aparts (bread), and black eye peas while helping my daughter with her dessert; I just couldn't add something else in. But hubby felt like it needed something like that. He ended up using ketchup to dip it. Oh, this tastes a lot like fried chicken even though it really is pork. :)

More later,
Reba

Parmigiano Panko Herb Encrusted Chicken

After discovering the yumminess (yes, that is a word, at least in my world :) of panko with the garlicky baked shrimp, I knew I wanted to use it again. So when a recipe on Pinterest used the words Parmigiano and panko in the title, I was ready to cook.

Parmigiano Panko Herb Encrusted Chicken

The original recipe (link above) is listed though like always, I made adjustments to fit our family and our pantry. :)

Ingredients:
4-6 chicken breasts (The recipe calls for chicken breasts, then involves flattening them with a mallet. However, due to time constraints, I went the easy route. Chicken tenderloins. They are just the right size. And they cook quickly. Plus there was some with a discount since its "due date" was just about here)

olive oil (I totally used this. I LOVE olive oil)

panko flakes (I used the plain...no measurement. I just poured some in a ziplock bag)

1 /2 cups Parmigiano cheese grated (I didn't really measure. I just grated some and added it to the ziplock)

2 tbsp dried basil

salt/pepper

Directions:
If you use the chicken breasts, flatten with a mallet.

In a skillet (deep) or fryer, add olive oil. Heat on medium heat.

Mix together the Panko, Parmigiano, basil, salt/pepper. Put in a dish and dip chicken to coat both sides. (I was in a hurry. I put it all in a gallon ziplock and threw the chicken in and shook away. :)

Place chicken in hot oil (don't overcrowd) in the skillet or fryer. Fry to a golden brown color, about three minutes each side.

Let it rest before eating.

It did not disappoint. My kids LOVED it. And it was easy. That was my favorite part. :)

Reba

Fried Chicken Tenders

I really rarely fry. Rarely. But sometimes you just want something fried, like maybe some fried chicken.

My friend Carrie recently posted a fried chicken tender recipe on her blog. *sidenote: Carrie is the one who gave me the recipe for the lava molten cakes...she comes up with some good stuff!

I was sold. Easy sell. It just sounded SO good.

So I decided last night that it was time to attempt to fry chicken.

Pretty sure that it was my first time ever.

Won't be my last.

Not that I can do it very often. I know there are probably healthier ways to go.

But yum.

Just have to say, yum.

Here is a link to Carrie's blog. She tells it so much better than I will...
Fried Chicken Tenders

Fried Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:
Buttermilk (I used one container...it was low fat)
2 cups flour
2 tbsp seasoned salt (more or less to taste)
1-2 pounds of chicken tenders
2 eggs, whisked
oil (I used canola, in an attempt to be healthy...healthier. :)

Take the chicken tenders and cut into smaller pieces. I just cut each one once or twice. I had a variety of sizes. Oh, I used the frozen kind. Just defrosted in the microwave until almost thawed. It is so much easier to cut when it is a little frozen still.

Take a plastic bag or a bowl and "marinate" the chicken in the buttermilk.

I didn't do it for too long. Next time I will do it longer, but it still worked.

Next, put the flour and seasoned salt in a gallon ziplock bag. Mix together. (I just shook the bag a few times)

Put the chicken in the bag with the flour mixture. Shake well. (I wouldn't put it all at the same time...)

Then put the chicken into the egg mixture. Cover the chicken with the egg mixture.

I did this with a bowl, but honestly, next time, I think I will do this in a ziplock too.

Take the chicken out and dip into the flour again. I ended up having another ziplock of flour mixture just so I could have a rotation/assembly line going.

You can do all of this ahead of time and let it sit for a while. I think I will do that next time just so it is ready when I need to cook. The process ended up taking longer than I meant for it too since I was attempting to make mashed potatoes at the same time. By the way, I have yet to find a good mashed potato recipe. I welcome suggestions...

Anyway, when you are ready to cook, heat the oil in a skillet. (Pour about a half inch into the skillet first) Heat to around 350 degrees.

This is one other thing I think I will do differently next time. We have a Fry Daddy. We don't use it much other than for donuts and occasionally french fries. I think I will try it next time just because it is easier to monitor the temperature on it.

Fry for a couple minutes on each side until golden brown. I turned them constantly so they wouldn't burn.

"Drain" oil by putting the fried chicken on top of a paper towel on a plate.

Enjoy.

I told Carrie later how much I enjoyed this recipe. She said that if you use the buttermilk, it is so thick, you don't really need to double "dip". However, having done both not knowing this, I think I will stick to both...I loved the thickness of the buttermilk as well as the two layers of flour. Yum.

Enjoy!

Reba