Shredded Chicken

Shredded chicken (chix) is one of the easiest, tastiest, low prep foods to make. It basically cooks itself. Shredded chix can be used in an endless amount of recipes. I don't eat red meat at all, so if meat's involved it's usually chicken or ground turkey. For most recipes, they can easily be substituted with ground burger, or any other meat of your liking.

What you'll need:

• Chix Breast
• Seasonings of choice (pepper, cayenne pepper, Cajun blend, etc)
• Green onions
• Lime juice (optional)
• Nonstick Stew Pot (or any deep pot)
• Fork & knife

After washing the chix breast, and pre heating the pot on medium heat, I simply laid the meat down in the pot. Unless it's absolutely necessary I try not to use oils, or butter in recipes. If you don't have a non stick pot for example you may need to use oil so the meat doesn't stick to it. In that case, I'd use a small amount of olive oil. If you must use oil, at least make it a healthy oil right? Another reason I don't add oil to the pot is, because the chicken will release juices as it cooks, and this will help keep it from sticking.



After placing the chix in, season one side while the other is cooking. Don't flip it just yet! To make sure the chix cooks evenly, it's easier for me to place it, leave it alone for about 5 mins, then flip, and repeat.



After about 10-15 minutes of cooking the chix will start to get tender from cooking in the liquid. If all the liquid evaporates, just add a small amount. You don't want to boil the chicken, so add enough to barely cover the bottom. The longer the chix cooks in liquid the more tender it'll be. Once it's fully cooked you can cut the chix breast in strips. This shouldn't be hard and a fork and knife should work just fine. Let the chix cook for a minute or so before flipping it, and cutting the other side. You'll start to see it fall apart. Use the fork to shred the chix.



Here you can see the chix shredded. I've added chopped green onion, and lime juice.



I used the shredded chix for a Venezuelan inspired layered dish called Patacon. A Venezealan restaurant here serves this, and it's one of my favorite things ever! A fried plantain is the base and it's topped with lettuce, cilantro sauce, cheese, avocado, banana peppers, and then your choice of meat. It's great!!

Other Ideas for Shredded Chix:

• Make fajitas. Add a packet of premixed fajita mix to chix instead of other seasonings
• Make a salad. Top your favorite greens with the warm shredded chix
• Make a sandwich. Fill a hamburger bun with the chix
• Make Tacos. Top with your fav fixings
• Make chili. Beans and a few other things could be a quick chix chili
• Baked taco salad. Layer with tortilla chips, tomatoes, cheese etc. then bake
• Chix salad. Let cool then add mayo or yogurt and veggies 
• BBQ chix. Add some sauce and bread
• Try a homemade potpie
• Layer with veggies and top with biscuits before baking

Do you have a recipe for shredded chicken? Share!! Did you try this? Let me know!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Yummy!! Can I just start off with saying that?! I haven't fried chicken in I don't know how long! Personally frying anything isn't high on my to-do list. Mostly, because I don't enjoy being popped by flying grease or nearly breaking my neck on slippery fly aways on the floor. One thing I can say is that I'm so happy I tried this recipe. The results were fantablous (and fantastical) and went well with my homemade broccoli soup!

What you'll need:

• 2 small containers
• 1 frying pan
• Crisco
• Seasonings such as salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
• 2 medium sized eggs
• About 2 handfuls of Corn Flakes
• About 2 cups of flour
• Draining rack or paper towels
• About 8 chicken legs
• Buttermilk
• Tongs and a Fork

To try to prevent cross contamination (and the spread of microbes all over my kitchen) all of the prep work is done BEFORE dealing with the chicken or the eggs. I make sure my hands are washed, and the sink I'll be seasoning the chicken in is thoroughly washed.

In the 1st container, I pour in flour and then season it well with black pepper and a small amount of cayenne pepper. Spicy isn't my goal, so the cayenne is used sparingly just for taste. Salt surprisingly isn't even in my house. I never ever cook with salt, but you may use if for this recipe if you choose  ^_^  I use roughly 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. The last thing that goes in is the fist full's of cornflakes. These get roughly crushed up with the back of a fork, mixed well, then set aside.

In the 2nd container, goes about a 1/2 cup of buttermilk, and the eggs. Before I crack the eggs I turn on water in a sink and have a trash bag near. Crack the eggs, throw them away, and then wash my hands without touching anything else. Mix the milk and eggs well, and then set aside.

On the stove I heat the frying pan on medium-low. While it's heating up I add about 1 1/2 cups of Crisco shortening. Any type of oil or shortening may be used here. I just wanted the bottom of the pan covered--no deep frying going on here. Prepping the chicken is next!

After turning the stove up to medium--I turn on the water again, so I could wash my hands after seasoning the chicken. No matter what anyone says, I always rinse off meat really well when I take it out of the package. If necessary, you can trim up the chicken legs to get rid of excess fat. After laying the legs down in the sink I prepped I season then on both sides. I sprinkled about 1 tablespoon of black pepper total on 1 side of all the legs.

Time for the assembly line cooking method! Using 1 hand to touch raw chicken and 1 hand to touch anything else is important so bacteria aren't spread. 1 chicken leg gets dipped in the milk-egg mixture, then into the seasoned flour-cornflake mix, and finally into the frying pan. With one hand on the chicken, and the other on the container holding the flour mix you can hold that closer to the pan, so you're not dropping flour on things.

I fit about 4 legs in at a time. The thickest part of the leg should be towards the middle (hottest part) of the pan. Try not to over crowd your pan, this can affect the temperature of the oil extending the cooking time. If the oil is too hot the chicken will brown fast on the outside, but be undercooked inside. Once you've placed the chicken in the pan don't touch it. Place it and keep hand off! Let the 1st side cook for about 8 minutes before flipping with your tongs and repeat.

Once the chicken is finished cooking, place it on a draining rack, or on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Extras:

~~~The buttermilk helps flavor the chicken and keep it juicy while it cooks. The chicken can be soaked in it the night before for extra flavor.

~~~The cornflakes give an extra crunch to the breading that's made while frying.

~~~The egg can be omitted, but gives the flour mix something to hold on to and helps with the crunch!

I've tried to come up with some positive things to eating fried foods. I even googled it, but I really didn't find a lot of good things worth mentioning. Everyone knows fried foods aren't very healthy, BUT to me moderation is the key! Too much of anything in life usually isn't good.

Possible Mods:

• Try egg whites instead of the whole egg
• Use gluten free or whole wheat flour
• Use canola, sunflower, or olive oil
• Try using skinless chicken 

Think you eat too much fried food?

~~Try limiting yourself to eating it once a week

~~Feeling adventurous? Try limiting yourself to twice a month

~~Eat two vegetable for every piece of fried food on your plate

Over all, I give this recipe 2 thumbs up!! The buttermilk chicken was very crispy, crunch, and juicy! It'll definitely be tried again ^_~"

Do you have any variations of this recipe? Know any modifications that can be made? Comment below and don't forget to subscribe!