“The truth is…everything counts. Everything. Everything we do and everything we say. Everything helps or hurts; everything adds to or takes away from someone else.” ~ Countee Cullen
NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It’s my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian ‘Quote Cup’ passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, along with an update and photos of what has been going on in our lives. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!
For Mother’s Day this year I asked for help getting our patio cleaned and ready for summer… and family minions arrived! It was also a big weekend for our granddaughter, playing in GTCYS spring concerts at Orchestra Hall. It is inspiring how many students are involved (more than 13,000!) in 11 school year orchestras… and how well they play!
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
As I recover from my hip surgery I have been waxing nostalgic, and this week am publishing a recipe I first made and featured in Bakesale Betty’s Fried Chicken Sandwich in 2008. I discovered the recipe in a newspaper feature in San Francisco when we were there for a conference in 2007, at the time of the bridge crash here. I remember getting a call while we were having dinner saying everyone was ok… and not having any idea why we should be worried. But I digress… since that debut in 2008 ‘Bakesale Betty’ was a favorite birthday dinner request for several years. The chicken is deliciously flavorful and juicy but it is the unique coleslaw topping that really makes it outstanding. Some of our family likes to add a touch of mayonnaise to the bun as well.
The recipe below was copied directly from the recipe by Alison Barakat (aka Bakesale Betty) in the SFO Chronicle. She said people sometimes drove for miles and lined up out the door for it and she ate it every day for 5 years and never grew tired of it! It calls for 4 chicken breasts to make 4 large sandwiches. I used a family size package of chicken breasts and cut each one in two to make sandwiches to fit on hamburger buns…make sure the buns are soft to complement the crunchy chicken and coleslaw. The coleslaw was just the right amount, I used one package of pre-shredded cabbage and canned jalapenos… adjust how many jalapenos you use to your desired hotness. The breading was much more than I needed. I used an electric deep fryer and needed a little more oil. ENJOY!
BAKESALE BETTY’S AWESOME FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 6 oz each
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 quart buttermilk
- 2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
- 4 torpedo rolls, sliced lengthwise
The vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
The coleslaw
- 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 jalapenos, seeded, cut in half and sliced crosswise
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 green cabbage, core and outer leaves removed, and very thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
The breading
- 1 pound all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt + more to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions: Season chicken breasts with kosher salt. Let sit at least 5 minutes. Fill a wide, shallow nonreactive bowl or casserole dish with buttermilk. Add the chicken and soak in the refrigerator for 1 hour up to overnight.
For the vinaigrette: Combine mustard, vinegar and salt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until well blended.
For the coleslaw: Macerate onions in red wine vinegar, and let sit at least 20 minutes. Remove onions and discard vinegar. Toss onions with jalapeno, parsley, cabbage and salt. Toss with vinaigrette until evenly coated.
To fry chicken: Pour vegetable oil into a large stockpot. Do not fill up more than halfway, or the oil could spatter. Bring oil up to 365 degrees, using a digital thermometer/candy thermometer to monitor the heat. Prepare the breading while waiting for oil to heat up.
In a wide shallow bowl, mix flour, cayenne, salt and pepper. Pull a chicken breast out of the buttermilk one by one, letting excess drip off, and dredge completely in flour. To create a thick crust, place in buttermilk and dredge in flour a second time. Do not drain or shake off excess buttermilk or flour during the breading process.
When the oil is at 365 degrees, carefully place chicken pieces into oil one by one. Let it cook for a minute before disturbing chicken, then help it “swim” in the oil with tongs, until it is evenly cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken from oil and drain on paper towels. Season immediately with salt.
For the sandwich: Place fried chicken breast on bottom of torpedo roll and top generously with coleslaw.
