Chicken Fried

Zac Brown Band sang:

"You know I like my chicken fried
And cold beer on a Friday night
A pair of jeans that fit just right
And the radio up"

Which just about sums up this evening,
except it isn't Friday and I'm out of beer.  But let me tell you about the dinner I made which was so delicious!  Chicken Fried Chicken with Onion Gravy and Asparagus.  It was so good that if I had any talent at all for music, I would have written a song about it.  Not only that but it was so simple to make.  Here is the recipe:

---

Chicken Fried Chicken with Onion Gravy and Asparagus

I took the original recipe from here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-deen/bobbys-chicken-fried-chicken-recipe.html and modified it to be gluten free.  I also make my own buttermilk for these type of recipes.


Ingredients:

Olive Oil, for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups Pamela's Pancake Mix
2 teaspoons House Seasoning, recipe follows
Eight 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, recipe follows
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
14-ounces of chicken broth or stock (I use Kitchen Basics chicken stock)
1/4 cup sliced Yellow onion
1/2 cup reduced-fat 1-percent milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 green onions (scallions), chopped

House Seasoning:

1 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup ground black pepper

Buttermilk:

1 cup milk
2 tbsp Heinz Corn Distilled White Vinegar

Directions:

To make your buttermilk, simply mix the milk and vinegar together and let it sit for about 10 minutes.  Viola!  You now have buttermilk.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take a cookie sheet and line it with a layer of non-stick aluminum foil. Cut the butts off of your asparagus and arrange it on the cookie sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Place in the oven for 10 minutes.

Mix together the Pamela's and the House Seasoning in a small bowl.  Pour the buttermilk into a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken in the buttermilk, followed by the Pamela's mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken breasts in the oil until they are done.  Remove and set on paper towels to absorb some of the oil while they rest.

At the 10 minute mark, turn your asparagus and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Make a roux, by whisking together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup chicken broth until dissolved. Set aside.

To make the gravy , add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the same skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add the remaining chicken broth, scrape the pan drippings with a wooden spoon, raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the mixture begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Stir in the roux to incorporate.

Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until the mixture thickens, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and black pepper and continue cooking over medium-high heat until thickened, 5 minutes longer.

---

Everything should finish at about the same time.   To plate, I put the chicken breast and covered it with gravy, put the asparagus on the side and then added some chopped scallions for garnish and added flavor.