CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN BREAST AND COUNTRY GRAVY with COUNTRY GREEN BEANS

What’s better than Chicken Fried Steak? Chicken Fried Chicken Breast…and White Country Gravy, of course.

I love making CFS. But, it can be a little tough at times, even with my recipe made from Beef Tenderloin. This Chicken Fried Chicken Breast is a basic double flour and buttermilk breaded chicken that will work with any fried chicken. It really needs to be deep fried, in other words, completely submerged in the cooking oil. Grandma’s old-school cast-iron skillet method is similar, but just make sure the oil is deep enough to cover the chicken, AND, the oil temperature is 350 degrees to start. It will drop to about 325 degrees when you put the chicken in, so crank it up a bit when you drop the chicken. I use canola oil. Don’t use olive oil as it has a different flavor profile and doesn’t take well to deep frying. Peanut oil works well too. This recipe is for 2 people.

Note as with any recipe, it’s all about the seasoning. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I also seasoned the cooked breasts with a little Lawry’s style seasoning mix (unsalted).

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each

• 1 1/2 cups of flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp sea salt or Kosher salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp granulated or garlic powder

• 1 cup of buttermilk

• 1 large egg

• 1 tbsp Frank’s Louisiana hot sauce

• Canola oil for frying

For the gravy:

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

• 2 tbsp flour

• 1 1/2 cups half and half or whole milk

• 1/2 tsp chicken base or buillion

• Kosher salt

• Black pepper Pinch of cayenne

Directions:

• Trim any excess fat from the chicken breasts then place in a large plastic bag and pound them to 1/4 inch thick.

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and hot sauce and place in another mixing bowl or large flat bowl.

• Make sure the breasts are dry. Dip them in the buttermilk mixture, then dredge in the flour mixture, then back into the buttermilk, then back into the flour. Press the flour into the breast so it is completely coasted. Place them on a wire rack over a sheet pan and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

• In the meantime, make the gravy. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan until melted then add the flour. Stir and cook for about 1 minute, making a roux. Whisk in the half and half and let it come to a simmer, whisking the whole time. Add the chicken base and whisk in. Let it cook about 5 minutes on very low heat then add the cayenne and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.

• In a heavy skillet over medium heat, add enough oil to make it 1 inch deep. Using a oil or meat thermometer, heat the oil to 350 degrees. Lower the heat and maintain that temperature for a couple minutes before adding the chicken. Carefully lay the breaded breasts in the skillet, one at a time if they won’t fit side by side. They should be submerged in the oil. Monitor the heat to maintain 350 degrees. Cook until golden brown on the first side then carefully turn over and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove to a wire rack over a sheet pan. Don’t using the same sheet pan and rack as it had raw chicken on it. Place in a warm oven until ready to use.

• To serve, place on a plate next to your mashed potatoes, or rice, or other starch. Spoon some gravy on the potatoes. If you soak the cooked breast in the gravy right away, it will get soggy.

For the Country Green Beans:

• 2 cups of thin French green beans (Haricot Verts), we get ours at Trader Joe’s always

• 2 thick slices of bacon, 1/2 inch chop

• 1/2 cup white onion, sliced into slivers

• Kosher salt and Black pepper

• Blanch the haricot verts in boiling water for about 5 minutes then drop into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Do this early then set aside at room temperature.

• Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the chopped bacon. Let render down and begin to brown, don’t let it get crispy, about 10 minutes.

• Add the onions to the saucepan and cook with the bacon until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Season with pepper, salt is probably not necessary because of the bacon.

• Add the blanched green beans and cook, saute, stirring, until the beans are heated through and finished cooking, about 10 minutes. Keep warm or serve right away.