👩🏻🍳It’s Healthy Comfort Food🐓
Are you in the mood for some delicious, Buttermilk Unfried Chicken and Not Mashed Potatoes? Fried chicken and mashed potatoes is the perfect comfort food. I always thought, if I had to select my “death row final dinner” it would be fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Fortunately for me, I haven’t had to test out that selection……. yet.
When my brother, sister and I had Kentucky Fried Chicken 🍗 as kids, it meant something great was about to happen. Usually something my mom would pick up the night before we went on vacation (our annual trek, station wagon packed with parents, kids, a few select friends and a couple of adorable but usually flatulent dogs 🚗👨👩👧👫🤦🏻♀️🐕🐕 , you get the visual, right?).
Well, this dinner almost gives me that same, something-wonderful-is-happening kind of feeling, but with less calories, carbs and fat. Take it from me, you’re going to like this trade off. The “Unfried Chicken” is actually baked chicken, tenderized in spicy buttermilk, coated in seasoned breadcrumbs, just like the real deal. “Not Mashed Potatoes” is a satisfying and scrumptious cauliflower puree.
“Unfried” Chicken
Rinse and pat dry 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. On a meat only cutting board (I have a plastic one for this purpose), cut each breast in half. Cover in plastic, then using a meat mallet, pound the breast until they are about 1/4 inch thick and as uniform in size as possible.
Into a bowl, add 1 cup buttermilk and 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon of hot Sriracha or Tabasco sauce, etc. Place the chicken into the marinade, and refrigerate covered for 1-3 hours.
Into a shallow bowl, add 3/4 cups bread crumbs. I prefer to make my own bread crumbs. You can make them easily! Just put sourdough bread into the food processor and then let it air dry or even toast them in the oven. I Keep them in freezer bags so I have breadcrumbs whenever I need them. If you don’t make your own, it’s best to use Panko for this recipe. Panko makes for a crispier texture in this recipe.
Preheat your oven to 400°.
Into the breadcrumbs add zest of 1 lemon, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon each of dried oregano and thyme and paprika and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix well.
Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and dredge the chicken into the breadcrumbs, and pack down with your hands to be sure that the crumbs are sticking to the chicken. Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil, then lay the chicken on the coated sheet pan. Spray the top of each piece of chicken with cooking oil.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown and the center is cooked fully and there is no pink in the center.
“Not Mashed Potatoes”
Fill a large pot about 1/3 full of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring the water to a boil. Clean and remove the core out of one large cauliflower. Cut into pieces and cook until just tender.
Remove from the heat and drain the water. Put the cauliflower into a food processor. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon of butter.
Let the mixture come to a smooth puree. Pour into a serving bowl.
Serve the Unfried Chicken with The Not Mashed Potatoes. I usually sprinkle a little paprika on the puree to give it some color. You could also top with a little toasted bread crumbs and parsley.
Enjoy!
Perfect unfried chicken and not mashed potatoes
Chicken - Buttermilk Unfried Chicken with Not Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
For the Buttermilk Unfried Chicken
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3/4 cups breadcrumbs (Panko or Gluten Free)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Cooking Oil Spray
For the Cauliflower Puree (Not Mashed Potatoes)
- 1 large fresh cauliflower
- 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
Optional garnish: Sprinkle of Paprika, Toasted Breadcrumbs, chopped parsley
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. On a meat only cutting board, cut each breast in half. Cover in plastic, then using a meat mallet, pound the breast until they are about 1/4 inch thick and as uniform in size as possible.
- Into a bowl, add 1 cup buttermilk and 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon of Sriracha or Tabasco sauce. Place the chicken into the marinade, and refrigerate covered for 1-3 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 400°.
- Onto a shallow bowl, add 3/4 cups bread crumbs.
- Into the breadcrumbs add zest of 1 lemon, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried thyme and 1 teaspoon paprika and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix well.
- Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and dredge the chicken into the breadcrumbs, and pack down with your hands to be sure that the crumbs are sticking to the chicken. Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil, then lay the chicken on the coated sheet pan. Spray the top of each piece of chicken with cooking oil.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown and the center is cooked fully and there is no pink in the center.
- "Not Mashed Potatoes"
- Fill a large pot about 1/3 full of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring the water to a boil. Clean and remove the core out of one large cauliflower. Cut into pieces. Put the cauliflower into the water and let it cook until it's fork tender. Remove from the heat and drain the water. Put the cauliflower into a food processor. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper (or to taste) and 1 tablespoon of butter. Let the mixture come to a smooth puree. Pour into a serving bowl.
- Top the puree with a little sprinkle of paprika for color, or add some toasted bread crumbs for texture and or some freshly shopped parsley.
Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
