hot chick

nashville-style hot chicken tenders

love me tender

what's better than fried chicken? HOT fried chicken! with the hot sauce craze at its peak, these crunchy, sweet-and-spicy-on-the-outside, tender-and-juicy-on-the-inside chicken fingers are a deliciously modern variation of a classic favorite. despite your kitchen smelling like a grease pit when you're finished cooking, THESE TENDERS ARE WORTH IT.

hot chicken is a variation of fried chicken that originated in nashville, tennessee. the chicken is dipped in a mixture of buttermilk and hot sauce, double breaded, fried, and finished with a spicy-sweet sauce. hot chicken is typically served on white bread with pickle chips to cut some of the heat. 

enjoy this taste of pan-fried paradise!

ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tbsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp plus 2 tsp kosher salt

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 tbsp tabasco

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

vegetable oil for frying (about 2 cups) `

2 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

optional white bread and hamburger chip pickles (for serving)

directions:

slice chicken into strips (~4 strips per breast)

toss strips in a large bowl with black pepper and 1 tbsp of salt and chill for 2-3 hours

whisk eggs, buttermilk, and tabasco in a large bowl

whisk flour and remaining salt in another large bowl

fill a medium to large frying pan with oil to measure ~2 inches and heat oil to medium-high heat (~325 degrees F)

working in batches of ~3 strips, dredge chicken in flour mixture, dip in buttermilk mixture, and dredge again in flour mixture

fry the breaded chicken, turning occasionally until breading is golden-brown and chicken feels firm*

safely remove the fried chicken from the hot oil and place strips on a few layers of paper towels to absorb excess oil

continue dredging and frying directions until all chicken strips are fried

using leftover oil from the frying pan, whisk 1/2 cup of hot oil with garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, chili powder, and brown sugar

brush this sauce over the chicken so that it is completely covered (i brushed mine over twice)

serve with bread and pickles if desired

*if unsure if chicken is completely cooked, use a meat thermometer to see that meat is at least 160 degrees F

turn down for cake

pineapple upside down cake

take that, suzy homemaker

usually when i think of pineapple upside down cake, i think of some 1950s suburban housewife from middle america who decided to give her jello molds a rest and looked to her betty crocker cookbook for some "exotic" inspiration. (i think i just described my grandmother...love you!) stereotype aside, this cake is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.

as a demonstration of women's rights and my power of choice, i decided to omit the traditional maraschino cherries and instead use a honey glaze to add some sticky-sweetness to the cake. the end product is a sensationally moist, vanilla, buttermilk cake topped with sweet, tangy pineapple rings and honey. as a testament to its sheer deliciousness, my boyfriend ate 25% of the cake in one sitting and then had to go lay down. he has no regrets.

enjoy this outrageously simple, wonderfully flavorful recipe!

ingredients:

3/4 cup softened butter, plus extra for greasing

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 3/4 cups flour

3 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup honey

1 can pineapple rings

directions:

preheat oven to 350F

in a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together

in a separate bowl, whisk together cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour

using a mixer on low-medium speed, add dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/vanilla mixture

add eggs and buttermilk to the mixing bowl and continue to mix until batter is well-combined

use butter to grease a 9" round cake pan (you can also use a skillet)

pour honey into buttered pan and spread evenly to cover the bottom

place pineapple rings in the pan on top of the honey and then pour cake batter over the pineapple rings

use a spatula if necessary to spread the batter evenly in the pan

bake cake for one hour

after removing from the oven, let cake sit in the pan for 3-5 minutes; then place a plate on top of the pan and invert

serve warm or at room temperature