Episode 4 – Sweet fried chicken with mac (farfalle) n’ cheese

It’s Wednesday night and you don’t feel like cooking a big meal but you also don’t feel like takeout. You start to give in to just having a bowl of cereal and then it hits you. Sweet fried chicken!

Perhaps one of my favorite chicken recipes out there – sweet fried chicken is easy, takes very few ingredients and is simply the best fried chicken I have ever tasted. However, just chicken fingers is hardly a meal and Elisabeth stepped up to fix some quick mac n’ cheese. So quick, in fact, she prepared it while the chicken was cooking.

I have to add that my good pal Greg over at Freezer Burns pointed out that technically my mac n’ cheese was really bow-tie/farfelle n’ cheese.  Who am I to question the Frozen Food Master and thus the title has been amended. 

Ingredients:

• 8 strips of boneless, skinless chicken
• 2 cups sweetened cereal (Cap’n Crunch used)
• ½ to 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups pasta
• 2 slices American cheese
• ¼ to 1/3 cup shredded cheeses of your choice
• 1/8 cup or so skim milk
• Enough vegetable or canola oil to fill pan 1-2 inches
• Mustard of choice (I used honey Dijon)
• Mayo or Miracle Whip

Directions:

Plate 8 strips of boneless, skinless chicken on a plate and set aside.

Finely crush cereal in bag and empty onto plate and set aide. Mix flour, pepper, onion and garlic powder together in bowl. In separate bowl mix 1 cup milk and a large egg for your egg wash.

Dip chicken strips into wash, then move to flour mix and finally cover with cereal. Repeat for all 8 strips.

Heat oil to 325 degrees and fry 3 or 4 strips at a time for 3 to 5 minutes or until brown on outside and cooked thoroughly. Place on paper towel or drip tray to remove excess grease.

For mac n’ cheese, boil water and cook noodles. In separate bowl break up cheese slices and add shredded cheese mix. Microwave cheese for about 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Strain pasta and add to bowl with melted cheese. Mix well until cheese covers all the noodles. Serve immediately.

For dipping sauce, mix one part mustard with one part mayo or Miracle Whip.