Fry Me Some Chicken

I love recipes with an not often used, but common ingredient. Hope that makes sense. For example. Brining chicken with sweet tea. Tea is in most households, but not really used for brining a bird.
In honor of Martin Luther King day, some friends and I decided to have a dinner, full of soul food. Through the inspiration of Paula Dean, a tad bit of Pioneer Woman and my mother in law, I prepared this meal.... This chicken was amazing!!!! Quite a hit among everyone. I went ahead and fried 2 other whole chickens, only because my very helpful, Mother In Law, gave me two fresh, already cut chicken from the Amish!!!! YUMMY!!!!

Sweet Tea-Brined Fried Chicken on a “Biscone”

Ingredients:
Sweet Tea Brine:
1 quart cold water
2 gallon-size tea bags
1 cup sugar
1 lemon, quartered
1/3 cup kosher salt
6 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
Oil, for deep-fryer
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, optional
1 teaspoon Paula Deen House Seasoning
Buttermilk, for dredging
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Directions
Egg Wash:
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
Pinch salt

Biscone:A combination of a biscuit and a scone.
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons to toss onto dough before baking
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt *optional for savory scones
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup cold butter, cut in cubes
1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk
1/2 cup grated sharp white Cheddar
Egg wash

Scallion Butter:
2 sticks softened butter
3 scallions, finely chopped

For the brine:Bring the cold water to a hard boil and remove from the heat. Add the tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and add the sugar; stir until dissolved. Add the lemons and kosher salt; stir to dissolve. Put in a nonreactive bowl and refrigerate to chill for 8 to 12 hours. Cook’s Note: Make sure the brine is good and cold before adding the 6 chicken breasts.

Put the chicken in the brine, cover and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours. Drain the chicken.

In a deep-fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, heat enough oil to come halfway up the sides of the pot, to 350 degrees F.

Put the flour into a shallow bowl. Add the cornstarch, black pepper, if using, and House Seasoning to another dish, and the buttermilk and the hot sauce to a third dish. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the cornstarch and lastly the buttermilk. Carefully add the chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden and fully cooked. Transfer to a serving platter and keep warm until ready to serve.

In a small bowl add the egg and stir, then add the milk and salt and mix well to combine.

For the biscone:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Add all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a fork or pastry blender until the butter is the size of peas and some larger pieces. Gradually add in the cold buttermilk until it is just combined. Stir in the cheese. Do not overwork the dough.

In the same bowl, pat down dough and dust the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Using an ice cream scooper, arrange scoops of the biscone mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake, turning halfway through, until the tops are golden brown about 18 to 20 minutes.

For the butter:

In a small bowl add the butter and scallions. Using a hand-held electric mixer, combine until well incorporated.

To assemble:

Split the biscones in half and smear with scallion butter. Serve as a sandwich with the chicken breasts.

Recipe courtesy Cheryl Day

Green Beans
fresh garden Beans
sauteed onion
and chopped ham


Greens and Grits
this was my version of another Paula Dean recipe I made at Christmas.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan. Dump in:
5 beaten eggs
1 t dry mustard
1 t dried onion
1 dry cup, quick cook grits
2 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups water
8 oz, parmessan cheese
1 cup torn spinach

Combine together, and bake at 350 for about an hour.

Sweet Potato Pie
any recipe will do, this evenings wasn't the best, so I won't include it.