Recipe: KFC Copy Cat Chicken

Scott's mom got a book with copy cat recipes of restaurant foods (Top Secret Recipes Step By Step by Todd Wilbur).  Scott decided to borrow it, and we took a day over Christmas break to go grocery shopping to pick up the odds and ends we would need to try some of our restaurant favorites!

The first recipe we decided to tackle was KFC's Original Recipe Fried Chicken.

There were four ingredients that we changed.  Two of the spices the book listed, we couldn't find in our local grocery stores.  The recipe also calls for MSG and suggests Accent seasoning, which is what we used.  Since we couldn't completely adhere to the recipe from the book, we decided to go ahead and use gluten free flour (Scott is supposed to avoid gluten) instead of regular all-purpose flour.  So here's how we made it!

(Don't let the huge list of ingredients scare you.  This was actually really easy to make....)

Ingredients

• 8 chicken legs*
• 5 Tyson boneless skinless chicken breasts*

*The original recipe also called for a whole roaster chicken cut into 8 pieces.  We used the chicken that we had on hand.  We had more than 8 pieces total, and we had more than enough breading, dredge, and brine.

Brine

• 1/2 c. salt
• 1 T Accent Seasoning
• 8 c. water

Breading

• 1 3/4 c. Krustez Gluten Free Flour
• 1 T. plus 1 tsp. salt
• 1 T. Accent Seasoning
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. ground black pepper corns
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground thyme
• 1/2 tsp. ground sage
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground marjoram
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

Dredge

• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups skim milk

1. Make the brine by dissolving salt and Accent seasoning in the water.  Add the chicken pieces and marinate for 3 hours.  Remove chicken from the brine, rinse with water, and blot dry.
2. Heat oil in the deep fryer to 300* F.
3. To make the breading, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
4. In another bowl, beat the eggs and stir in the milk.
5. Dip each piece of chicken in the dredge and then put into the breading.  Toss the chicken pieces to coat completely.  Toss a few times to ensure good coating.  When the oil is ready, shake off the excess breading and add to the fryer two pieces at a time (or more if your fryer can hold more.  I made ours two at a time.).  

6. Fry for 16-20 minutes (16 worked for me) or until the chicken is golden brown.  Drain chicken on a rack for 5 minutes before serving.

Those are breading crumbs in my sink.  I promise my sink is not actually gross...

**You can keep chicken pieces warm in a 220* oven until all pieces are ready to serve.

I made corn and mashed potatoes to serve with our chicken since that's what I would eat as sides at KFC! :)

Taco Braid

Have I ever mentioned how much I love delicious, easy recipes???

I do.

And this is one.

Taco Braid
Ingredients

• Lean ground beef (80/20)*
• 2 cans crescent rolls
• Mexican blend cheese
• taco seasoning

*You can use as little as 1 lb and probably as much as you want.  I used about 1.5 lbs.

1. Brown ground beef and drain.  Then add taco seasoning as you would when making tacos.

2.  While taco meat simmers, lay out your crescent rolls, (large ends are placed on the inside) and press together.

3. Fill in the center with the taco meat.

4. Sprinkle with the cheese.  (Another great thing about this recipe...how much you use is TOTALLY up to you.  The original recipe doesn't even put cheese on the inside.  I thought that was nonsense.)

5. Fold in the ends, and bake at 350* for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Then sprinkle more cheese on top, and bake until melted.

I think I was too excited about eating this to take a picture once it was baked and the cheese was melted.  Plus, someone was home from work and wanted to eat so....

I made a packet of the Knorr Spanish Rice sides with this, and it was great!  You can also serve with taco toppings: salsa, sour cream, taco sauce, lettuce, etc.  Scott put salsa, taco sauce, and the rice all on top of this, and he loved it!  I tried it as is, and I loved it that way, too!  Make it your own! :)  You can have it as an appetizer, a side, or a main dish.  It's great for pot lucks, too!  You could cut slices and then cut them in half by going straight down the middle!

I made this taco braid on the tray from my Celebrating Home hospitality set in the Simply Summer stoneware pattern.  This used to be a piece that only hostesses could get after two friends booked parties.  In our Fall/Winter 2014 catalog, we have them available in two stoneware patterns: Berry and Sonoma Villa.

3-Piece Berry Hospitality set (bowl, tray, stand)

3-Piece Sonoma Villa Hospitality Set (bowl, tray, stand)

Fiesta Soup

Recently, I shared a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars.  While I was searching for recipes, I came across this soup recipe that sounded absolutely amazing.  I was able to give it a try, and it definitely lived up to my expectations!

Best of all, it's super easy!

It's not the prettiest picture, but I promise, the soup is fabulous!

Fiesta Soup
Ingredients

• 1/2 c. diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can of black beans (15 oz) drained and rinsed
• 1 can of kidney beans (15 oz) drained and rinsed
• 1 can diced green chili peppers (4.5 oz)*
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)*
• 2 1/2 c. low sodium, fat free chicken broth
• 1 c. frozen corn
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• sea salt (to taste)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 in. cubes

*Do not drain

Take all of that stuff up there, chop it, open it, drain it, rinse it, measure it, and throw it all in your slow cooker.

Cook on low 6-8 hours.  (I ended up cooking mine for 7.)

1 cup serving: 91 calories, 7.5 g protein
2 cup serving: 181 calories, 15 g protein

The end.

What I like about this recipe:

There are a lot of ingredients, but that doesn't bother me at all since it all gets tossed in the slow cooker, and I don't have to worry about it until it's time to eat.  I will note that I did go out to stir it occasionally, but that was only because I was home, and I felt like it.

It's a slow cooker recipe.  Duh.

The flavor is amazing.  It's kind of similar to chili.

I DIDN'T HAVE TO COOK THE CHICKEN!!  I've mentioned recently that I just seem to have trouble with chicken recipes.  The pieces of chicken are small, and are being cooked for at least 6 hours, so they are cooked in all of that chicken broth and yummy goodness.  The chicken pieces were moist and flavorful, and I didn't feel compelled to pick them out and eat them first to get it out of the way!

What I don't like about this recipe:

The original recipe calls for cilantro.  While I know how much my friend, Kristin, loves cilantro, I'm not a fan.  So I just didn't use it.   

You can find the original recipe here.

Maple Grilled Chicken with Rice

I actually have a recipe to share with you all today!  Quite some time ago, my mother-in-law gave us a cook book with meals that have 5 ingredients or less.  Despite how easy that sounds, I've had yet to use it.  One of my big things in regard to cooking is that I go a little crazy when a recipe calls for ingredients that I don't have on hand.

Since I pretty much fail at meal planning, this happens a lot.

Even this 5 ingredient cook book has recipes with stuff that I just don't keep "in stock."  That's not to say that they're obscure ingredients or anything--just things I don't happen to have.

Fortunately, that did not happen this time.

I've gotten the idea in my head that I need to start marinating chicken before cooking it.  I love chicken, but I would say that 98% of the time when I cook it on my own, I just don't care for it.  While this recipe doesn't specifically ask you to marinate the chicken, I decided to do it anyway.  (And this one only has 4 ingredients!)

Maple Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. maple syrup*
• 1/2 c. barbecue sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
• 4 chicken breast halves

*I had this little container of maple syrup from a fall-themed  bridal shower.  It was probably only about a 1/4 c. so I used regular old Mrs. Butterworth's syrup to make up the difference.

1. Mix marinade in a container.

2. Split chicken breasts in half with a sharp knife.

3. Place chicken breast into a bag, and pour in the marinade.  Reserve about a 1/2 cup for basting during cooking.  (This is  your preference.  I saved less than a 1/2 c.)  Toss around in the bag to coat the chicken.

4. Refrigerate the chicken and extra sauce for 3-24 hours.

5. Grill for 6 minutes on each side, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.  (I cooked ours on our George Forman grill.)  Half-way through grilling, add some of the remaining marinade to the chicken.

I decided to make rice to go along with this.  We have white minute rice here, but white rice alone is just so...blah.  I Googled some recipes, and sort of pieced ideas to come up with this:

Not-So-Boring White Rice
Ingredients

• 1 c. dry minute rice*
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1/4-1/3 c. chopped onion
• 3 T butter, divided
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• salt & pepper, to taste

*The rice I use is equal parts rice to liquid.  So if I'm making 1 cup of rice, I need 1 cup of liquid, etc. etc.

1. Add water and chicken broth to a pan, and bring to a boil.  Add rice, stir, cover, and remove from heat for 5 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed.

2. Meanwhile, in a larger sauce pan, add 2 T. of butter, and melt over low heat.  When it is melted, add the onion and garlic powder, and saute.

3. Add in the rice, remaining T of butter, salt, and pepper.*  Stir until heated through.

*I added a little more chicken broth at this time, too.  Just to keep the rice from burning to the bottom of the pan.

Verdict?

I REALLY enjoyed the rice.  I think next time, I'd like to add something green...like frozen peas.  I think this would make it look pretty, but add even more interest.

I liked the sauce on the chicken.  I can't decide if I just really only like chicken that's breaded and bad for me, or if I just don't care for the kind of chicken we get.  I typically prefer chicken breast, but this didn't taste any better to me than the last time I made a chicken recipe using chicken thighs.

Does anyone else have issues with chicken??

I know red meat isn't "as good" for you, but it seems that these days I prefer beef to chicken.  I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if you give either of these recipes a try, let me know!! :)

Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup

I was on a soup kick last week.  (Hey, it's not really spring-like in PA yet!)  I made my creamy potato soup (again), and the next day I decided that broccoli cheese soup sounded good!

This recipe is super easy, and it literally came printed on a box of Velveeta cheese.

Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients

• 1/4 c. chopped onion
• 2 T butter, divided
• 2 T flour
• 2 1/2 c. milk
• 3/4 lb. (12 oz.) Velveeta cheese product, cut into cubes
• 1 pkg. (10-12 oz) frozen broccoli, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

1. Cook and stir onion in 1 T. of butter in a saucepan on medium heat until the onion is tender.

2. Add the remaining butter and flour.  Cook for one minute or until hot and bubbly, stirring constantly.

3. Gradually add milk, stirring until well blended.  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer for one minute.

4. Add chunks of Velveeta cheese and pepper.

5. Cook until Velveeta is melted and soup is heated through, stirring occasionally.

And there you have it!

I'll be honest, friends, I know that Velveeta is NOT real cheese, and it's probably not the best thing for you.  It just melts so smoothly, and it tastes so good!  The recipe itself does actually mention using Velveeta Light (which is weird because it came on a box of the regular stuff), and I use nonfat milk to make mine.

Anyway, if you're looking for something warm and yummy on a chilly spring day, this is certainly worth a try! :)

Live & Learn Thursday: Buffalo Chicken Dip

I can't remember exactly when I discovered that I really like buffalo chicken dip.  I'm always happy when I attend parties or our pot luck lunches at school and someone has brought it.  On Sunday, I decided that I really wanted some.  Maybe it's because it was Super Bowl Sunday, but whatever the reason, I figured that I probably had what I needed on hand, and it couldn't be too difficult.

The good news is that it WAS really easy!

I turned to Google for some inspiration.

There were a few things that I was looking for:
1. I didn't want a crock pot recipe.  I only have a big crockpot, and Scott doesn't like buffalo chicken dip, so I didn't need to make a ton.
2. I needed a recipe with ingredients that I had here at the house because I was not leaving the comfort of my home to go to the store.
3. I also wanted something I could make quickly, easily, and that would fit in a dish I already had.

After consulting a few different recipes, here's how I made it!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 c. Ranch light dressing
• 1/2 c. hot sauce
• 1/2 c. Mexican blend cheese
• 13.5 oz can chunk chicken

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put the block of cream cheese in a bowl and use a spoon to break it up.

 

3. Stir in the Ranch dressing and hot sauce.

 

 

4. Then stir in the cheese and chicken.  (Break up the chicken pieces as much as possible.)

 

 

5. Separate the mixture in half and place into two mini casserole dishes.

 

Mini casseroles from Celebrating Home (My set, Simply Summer, is not currently available, but there are other patterns.)

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the mixture is heated through.

7. Serve with your choice of dippers!  I had mine with tortilla chips.  :)

 

Now for the really exciting part!  I've decided to give away a set of mini casseroles to one of my lucky readers!!  You will be able to choose the set that appeals to you!  Visit the link from the caption on my photo above, to see which ones you like best!  Then enter via Rafflecopter below! :)

 

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, be sure to check out the other giveaways I'm participating in right now!  First of all, go visit Elizabeth, The Young Retiree to enter the GALentines Giveaway!  Then read all about the $200 PayPal CASH Giveaway that Susannah from Simple Moments Stick is hosting with a bunch of her readers (like me!) to celebrate her Blog's 2nd Birthday!

Creamy Potato Soup

Oh my goodness!  Seriously, I've been so excited to share this potato soup recipe with all of you.  It. Is. So. Good.  SOOOOO GOOD!  Scott and I both loved it.  It took a little bit of time with all of the chopping I needed to do, but it was WELL worth it!

The original recipe came from Pinterest (where else??) You can see the pin below.



Here's my take.  I only had to make a few adjustments, and I had most of these things on hand.

Creamy Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 5 slices of bacon, chopped
• 2 small onions, diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled & diced
• 3 medium celery stalks
• 4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 medium red potatoes, diced
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 4 cups (1 quart) heavy whipping cream

1. Get a 6-8 quart pot. 

2. Start chopping.  I began with the bacon so I could get it cooking while I chopped the other veggies.

3. While the bacon is cooking, chop up the onions, carrots, and celery.

4. When bacon is crisp, removed to paper towels to drain.

Mmmm....bacon.....

5. Throw your chopped veggies right into the bacon fat, and cook until the onions are translucent. 

6. While the veggies are cooking, peel and dice the Russet potatoes, and dice the red potatoes.

7. When the vegetables have finished cooking, throw the potatoes in the pot and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Add the flour and stir constantly over low heat until the flour has cooked and the mixture has thickened slightly (about 5-7 minutes).

Adding the flour

After cooking

9. Add chicken stock and bacon, and season with salt and pepper.

10. Over medium-high heat bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. 

11. Add the whipping cream and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Seriously, I beg you all to try this soup.  If you like potato soup, and you are looking for a warm, comforting food on a cold day, THIS IS YOUR SOUP!! :)

Please let me know if you try it!  I'd love to know what you think!

Live & Learn Thursday: Apple Cinnamon Pork Chops

Today I'm linking up with one of my favorite bloggers, Sarah from Life As Always!  She and three other ladies have recently started hosting Live & Learn Thursday.  You can write about anything you have in mind: a new recipe, a life lesson, celebrity gossip...you name it, you can share it! 

Today, I'm sharing a new recipe I tried last week.  I had pinned this to my I Love Food board on Pinterest quite some time ago, and I finally got around to giving it a try.

Here's the original pin:




I'm sharing this today because I learned quite a lot by making this:1. My husband hates these pork chops.  Not this recipe exactly, but he's never liked this particular kind of pork chops we buy.  Thanks for telling me....  He also doesn't like pork loin (which the original recipe calls for).  2. Despite my compensations, these pork chops are just dry.  (Apparently, I don't really like them either).3. This was easy to make, and the flavor was really good which is why I am going to share what I did despite the shortcomings! :) Ingredients:~2.5-3 lbs boneless porkchops~3 Red Delicious Apples, sliced~Honey*~Cinnamon* I did not measure the cinnamon and honey at all... 1. Slice the apples, and put about half of the slices in the bottom of the slow cooker. 
2. Sprinkle with cinnamon. (I also added some water to the slow cooker at this stage.  I had read on the original recipe blog that some people commented that this was dry.  The slow cooker she uses does not allow moisture to escape.  Mine is not that good.  lol  SO I went ahead an compensated for this right away.) 

 

3. Cut a slit in each pork chop, drizzle in a little honey, and insert an apple slice.

 

 

4. Place the pork chops in the slow cooker, and drizzle with honey.  (At this point, I also added a little more flavored liquid.  I poured in the juice from the plate on which I defrosted the pork chops.  You could use wine or something you have on had.  I had a little champagne, so I poured in about 1 T.  Then I put in about 1 tsp. of Red Wine Vinegar). 

 

 

5. Put the rest of the apple slices on top.

 

 

6. Drizzle a little in a little more honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. 

7. Cook on low for 7 hours (or more....I'm gone for way longer than 7 hours when I put this on before work).  (Before I cooked this, I poured some more water over the whole thing.)

 

 

If you have a slow cooker that doesn't allow moisture to escape, you don't even need to add any liquid to this.  When Scott got his out (before I got home), he shredded up the pork chops, to let the pieces sit down in the liquid.  I added some salt, and served it over mashed potatoes.  The smaller pieces weren't as dry and were actually quite flavorful.  This dish has the potential to be really enjoyable!

 

Apparently, just not with those pork chops in my house! ;)