Oven-Fried Chicken with Honey-Butter Sauce

I remember the first time I prepared this chicken. It was so good, I made it several times in the  duration of several weeks and passed the recipe to neighbors and friends. I believe the original recipe appeared in Harrowsmith, a magazine I loved and to which I subscribed in the late 80s. Back then, dipping sauces were the exception rather than the rule. Now you can buy them bottled.

I've modified the original by adding a bit of smoked paprika to the dredging ingredients and a few shakes of Cayenne pepper to the sauce.  I also leave the skin on the I chicken. One could just use thighs or, as I prefer, leg quarters. If I use white meat, it is usually just bone-in, skin-on large chicken breasts.

Biscuits go nice with a dish such as this.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika or 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1, 2 1/2 - 3-pound broiler/fryer cut up and skinned
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Honey-Butter Sauce

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• Dash or two Cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper on a large plate. Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture. Set aside.

Pour melted butter into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. I prefer Pyrex. Place chicken in pan, turning to coat in butter. Cover and bake, meaty side down, for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients and beat well.

Uncover chicken. Turn. Pour honey-butter sauce over each piece. Bake, uncovered, for another 25-30 minutes, basting occasionally with the sauce. 

Serve with white rice or mashed potatoes, biscuits to sop up some of the wonderful sauce!

Seafood Chowder

Spring can be fickle. One day it's warm and sunny ... The next cool and rainy. This is a great soup for those overcast days. Be sure to serve with a generous bouquet of daffodils and tulips..

This really isn't an authentic seafood chowder which would use several kind of fish. Nor is it a genuine clam chowder which would use corn but no cod. It fits somewhere in-between.

Because bacon can be so expensive, I no longer buy it by the package. Instead, I purchase it by the slice from a local grocer.

This goes together quite simply. You could, of course, use any white fish, just be sure it is meaty. For a bit more zing, you could add a bit of Old Bay's seasoning.

• 4-6 slices smoked bacon
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme flakes
• 1/4 cup crushed saltines, preferably unsalted
• 2, 6-ounce cans chopped clams, drained, juices reserved
• 1 large white potato, peeled, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 bottle clam juice (about one cup) preferably a refrigerated brand
• 3/4 pound thick cod filet cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup Half-and-Half
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 2-4 tablespoons cream cheese (optional)

In a large heavy pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel leaving behind the drippings. To the drippings in the pot, add the onion, celery and thyme. Sauté over medium heat until vegetables are soft and onion begins to turn golden. If too dry, add a bit of olive oil. Add crushed crackers and stir for about three minutes.

Add reserved juices from clams, the bottled clam juice and the potatoes. Bring to a partial boil. Reduce feat to low and simmer, partially covered, for about fifteen minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Add cod pieces and simmer until fish is cooked through, about five minutes.

Add the creams and, if using, cream cheese and Old Bay's. Simmer on low just until heated through. Add about ten grinds of fresh pepper. Taste and re-adjust for seasonings.

Serve with a bit of bacon on top or simply mix all of the bacon into chowder before serving. 

7-Up Biscuits

 

I've seen this recipe floating around here and there on the currents of foodie sites. Today, finally, I decided it was time for a swim, so I dove into the recipe and made them at work since it involved so few ingredients.

Wow! It won waves of accolades from my co-workers. One said it was the best biscuit he ever had. And his mom was Southern!

I love my own recipe for biscuits. But there's just something about these ... That crusty/buttery bottom and then the ultra-tender interior from the addition of sour cream. Even cold, these biscuits retain flavor without the tinny, after taste of baking powder.

Apparently, these have been around for decades! There are those who grew up on them, especially at church dinners. Who knew? Certainly, not me.

Be forewarned: this is a wet, sticky dough. Do not at any time attempt to knead it. Use your hands, not a rolling pin! Gently, pat, pat, pat. Gently shake off excess flour before adding to the pan with the melted butter.

You could certainly use any lemon/lime carbonated soda. Even ginger ale. (Maybe, even a sweet, flavored beer?)

I did one-half recipe and used an 8 x 8 metal pan with a two-and-one-half-inch biscuit cutter.

Maybe add some grated cheese? Fresh herbs?

Full recipe is below. It is easily halved.

• 4 cups Bisquick
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup 7-Up
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Add melted butter to a 9 x 13 pan.

In a large bowl, combine sour cream with Bisquick. I use the underside of a large metal spoon to "schmear" the sour cream into the Bisquick until it forms large coarse crumbs--maybe chunks would be a better word?

Add the 7-Up and stir just until incorporated. Do not "beat." Loose is good.

Using a spatula or large spoon and not yours hands, scrape the mixture into a blob onto a well-floured board. Sprinkle the top with a bit more Bisquick. Dough will be wet and sticky but very light and soft. DO NOT KNEAD THE DOUGH! Instead, gently pat to bring it together to form a circle one-inch thick. Cut biscuits using a floured biscuit cutter. Gently dust off each biscuit before placing into pan.

Bake at  420 - 425 degrees Fahrenheit 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before eating.