Southern Fried Chicken Sliders with Jalapeno Peach Compote | Friday Night Bites

Okay, I have a confession.  I am a bit fascinated with anything southern.  I have yet to visit the states on my bucket list, but I know that will get there someday soon.  With a long holiday weekend behind us, I took a couple days vacation before the long weekend to unwind, catch up on household chores and do some cooking.  This week’s Friday Night Bites has been on my list for quite a long while and so happy to finally be able to check it off the list.

I love fried chicken but seldom partake since it is not the healthiest food.  So when I do indulge, it is surely a treat.  Despite there being quite a few steps to making these beauties, it was well worth every minute. I would suggest as a time saver to make the compote a day prior along with bathing the chicken in the buttermilk – it just gets better with time.

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Our weather over the long holiday weekend was rather humid, which is strange for the Bay Area.  Although sitting outside at night was pleasant and relaxing.  Hubby and I enjoyed these sliders with a glass of wine.  We enjoyed the mysterious clouds and the warmth of the air, which puts you into a very relaxed mode.

Last weekend the east bound side of the Bay Bridge was closed to prepare the new eastern side of the bay bridge to open.  It was quite the talk of the town and everyone is excited to experience a new bridge with new views along with driving over a vastly safer bridge. Hubby has been a private pilot for a long time and we decided to fly over the bridge and I would snap photos of the empty bridge prior to the scheduled opening on Tuesday morning.  Thought I would share a few photos with all of you to enjoy!

Over San Francisco looking east at Mount Diablo

New Bay Bridge

Full view of new Bay Bridge

Interesting clouds

Southern Fried Chicken Sliders with Jalapeno Peach Compote

Makes 16 Sliders

Biscuits

2 ½ Cup Flour

4 t. Baking powder

2 ½ teaspoon Sugar

½ teaspoon Salt

½ Cup Butter, chilled & cut into cubes

2/3 Cup Buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400º

In a large bowl; blend together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add in the cold butter and toss the butter in the flour. Using your finger tips quickly cut and rub the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles pea-size pieces. I recommend using your hands for best results but do not overwork.

Pour in the buttermilk. Using a fork, mix everything until it just comes together. Lightly dust a bread board with flour. Turn the dough out, lightly dust the top with flour, and gently knead the mass until it comes together.

Using your hands, flatten the dough out into a rectangle 3/4^th -inch thick. Use 2 inch round cookie cutter and cut out 16 circles. You may need to gently press the dough together to form a flat surface.  Be careful to not over work the dough to prevent the dough from becoming tough.

Transfer each biscuit to a non-stick baking sheet. The closer you have them together, the softer they will be. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they are lightly golden brown around the edges. Best eaten right out of the oven for peak deliciousness!

Jalapeno Peach Compote

2 Large peaches, peel the skin off

1 large jalapeno, seeds removed and dice into small pieces

1 Lime, juice and zest

2 Tablespoon Sugar

2 Tablespoon Bourbon

Add all of the above ingredients to a sauce pan.  Cook on high heat until bubbly, then reduce to low heat and cook for about 15 minutes or until thickened.  Let cool.

Fried Chicken

2 Chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise to make 4 thin chicken breasts then cut into 4 pieces each (16 small pieces)

1 Cup Buttermilk

2 teaspoons Franks Red Hot Sauce

½ Cup Flour

2 teaspoons Smoky Paprika

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

½ teaspoon Salt

1 to 2 cups vegetable oil

In a medium bowl add the buttermilk and Franks Red Hot Sauce and mix together.  Add the chicken and let sit for at least 30 minutes. 

In the meantime, mix the flour, salt, garlic powder and smoky paprika in a medium bowl. 

To prepare the chicken, remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture and remove the majority of the buttermilk from each piece then drudge into the flour mixture.  Set on a large plate to prepare for frying.  Heat the oil to 350 degrees in a cast iron skillet.  Cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked throughout, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Let drain.

To assemble, cut a biscuit in half and top with a piece of chicken then a spoonful of the compote and top with the other half of the biscuit.  Enjoy!

Pan Roasted Chicken and Spring Vegetables

Hubby and I are avid TV watchers. Over the years, several of our favorites have come and gone. It is always with mixed emotions, when we sit down to a series finale – curiosity, sadness, happiness, intrigue and wonderment. Last Wednesday was no exception with another series finale.

If any of you were hooked for the last nine years on One Tree Hill, then you can relate. For the last nine years, we sat on the couch watching the characters develop, grow and learn many valueable life lessons. One Tree Hill was more than just a teen sensation; it was an inspirational show that shared many emotions and lessons.

The last scene in the series finale showed the group head to the high school auditorium for a basketball game with Nathan’s son, Jamie. Jamie has now been propelled to high school and followed his father’s love of basketball, while adorning a number 12 jersey – the same number his father wore. If you a follower of the show, this is pivotal.

The camera pans to all of the primary characters as they recite inspirational words that sum up the nine seasons. Thought I would share it with all of you, since most folks can relate to the message.

Nathan: One day you’re 17 and planning for someday. And then quietly and without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And then someday is yesterday. And this is your life.

Haley: We spend so much time wanting, pursuing, wishing but ambition is good. Chasing things with integrity is good. Dreaming.

Brooke: If you had a friend you’d never see again, what would you say? If you could do one last thing for someone you love, what would it be? Say it. Do it. Don’t wait. Nothing lasts forever.

Mouth: Make a wish and place in your heart. Anything you want. Everything you want.

Millie: Do you have it? Good. Now go believe it to come true.

Quinn: You never know where the next miracle is going to come from.

Clay: The next memory. The next smile. The next wish come true.

Chase: But if you believe, it is right around the corner.

Julian: You open your heart and mind to the possibility of it. To the certainty of it.

Skills: You just might get the thing you are wishing for.

Julian: The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it.

Brooke: So make your wish. Do you have it?

Nathan: Good. Now believe in it.

Haley: With all your heart.

One Tree Hill is now complete. A television chapter closed. Many lessons were taught and many characters we grew to love or despise had some finality attached to them. The good news is that fresh and innovative shows are consistently being created. With the hope of many more characters to fall in love with and new lessons to be learned.

Okay, now that you have endured my One Tree Hill fascination, onto the food portion of the program – I mean blog post. I have been inspired by leeks lately. The idea of creating a leek infused chicken broth to house pan roasted chicken intrigued me. Next I thought how I can highlight spring. With the addition of aromatic shitake mushrooms and English peas, it just rounded out this tasty dish. Just think of the possibilities – Salmon with roasted fennel or grilled prawns with the addition of tomatoes and roasted garlic. Enjoy!

Pan Roasted Chicken with Spring Vegetables
Serves 4

Chicken

2 Large boneless chicken breast, cut length wise
Salt and pepper
Flour
Olive oil

With each piece of chicken, lightly pound with a meat mallet to increase tenderness. Season with salt and pepper and lightly coat in flour. Repeat for all four pieces of chicken. In a large skillet, add about ¼ cup of olive oil and heat on medium high. Add chicken breasts and sear on each side for about one minute each. Add to an oven that is pre-heated to 350 degrees. Cook for about 10 to 11 minutes or until all the way cooked through.

Leek Broth

4 C. Chicken stock
2 C. Leeks, cleaned and sliced

Add chicken stock and leeks to a medium pot and heat on medium for about 10 minutes. Let sit for 30 minutes to infuse.

Vegetables

20 Shitake mushrooms, remove stem and cut into pieces
2 C. English peas
2 C. Snap peas
2 C. Grape tomatoes

In a sauce pan, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and cook on medium high heat. Add the shitake mushrooms and cook until soft and fragrant. Remove from pan onto a small bowl.

Add the English peas, snap peas and tomatoes to the leek broth about 5 minutes before chicken is done cooking. Heat for about 4 to 5 minutes on medium.

Assemble

Let chicken rest for about 3 to 4 minutes. You can either serve whole or slice each breast before plating. I cut prior to adding to the plate. Use large bowls for each serving. Lay the chicken breast in the middle of the bowl and then ladle the vegetables evenly among the bowls along with the broth. Sprinkle the cooked shitake mushrooms over each bowl. You can add some parmesan cheese on top or sprinkle with chopped chives. Enjoy!

Mango and Macadamia Chicken

Last week I attended an event at the new Lafayette Library where Martin Yan, of “Yan Can Cook” came to help raise money for the library. Yan Can Cook was founded in 1977 by Master Chef Martin Yan. He is a champion of Asian cuisine and culture. His cooking shows are known around the world and shown in over 50 countries. He has published twenty eight cookbooks, designs cookware, consults on tourism and owns restaurants. Martin Yan is one of the busiest people I have met.

He amazed us with his humor, talent and enthusiasm for food. His knife skills are mind-boggling with the speed and accuracy. He cut a one or two inch cucumber into 64 slices – in a word – impressive. His story telling and humor is what captured my attention. He loves to get the crowd engaged and laughing.

To start the event, he asked questions of the audience and gave away some of his signature goodies. My friend Monica and I worked as a team to answer one of the first questions correctly about the three things that are important when stir-frying. Okay – I know you want to know what they are: (1) a very hot pan (2) cut the ingredients into fairly uniform sizes to create even cooking time and (3) use vegetable oil or one with a high smoke point to cook the meat. He gave us a cutting board that was made out of rice husks. Whoever figured out how to do that was very ingenuous.

Chef Yan was very generous and brought samples of his food for everyone and there was a crowd of over one hundred plus folks. Of course, he has his products available for sale and of course being a collector of cookbooks, I purchased one. The special thing was that he was on hand to personally autograph the cookbook. I seized the moment and had Monica snap a photo with Chef Yan and myself. What a fun night!

The Mango and Macadamia Chicken is from the cookbook Martin Yan Quick & Easy that I purchased that night. I ever so slightly adapted the recipe and enjoyed it the other night. I would recommend adding chunks of onions to kick up the flavor. Enjoy.

Mango and Macadamia Chicken

Marinade
2 t. cornstarch
2 t. soy sauce

¾ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into ½ inch cubes

Sauce
1/3 C. chicken broth
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. rice wine
2 t. sesame oil
1 ½ t. sugar

Cooking items
2 t. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t. red chili flakes
1 t. cornstarch, dissolved in 1 T. water

2 mangos, peeled, pitted and cut into cubes
1/3 C. chopped macadamia nuts

To create the marinade, combine the cornstarch and soy sauce together in a bowl and stir well. Add the chicken and coat well with the marinade. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.

To make the sauce, add all of the ingredients together and stir well. Set aside.

Place a wok or stir fry pan on high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl around. Add the chicken and stir until it is no longer pink in the center. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the sauce along with the cornstarch with water. Continue to stir and the sauce will thicken. Add the mango and stir. Transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle the macadamia nuts on top. Serve immediately.