Crispy Chicken with Gravy

I love fried chicken, but I would never make it. My awesome husband makes the world's very best fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, so luckily I will never have to do without. But I do try to contribute the occasional meal, and I search the internet for new ideas that seem simple and yummy. Tonight's delicious recipe is one I found on Pinterest, courtesy of Jaime Cooks It Up, with my substitutions (of course). It is very similar to the recipe on the Livestrong website, but with the cream gravy addition.

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed into fine crumbs

1 c chicken broth

4 tbs butter

1 c + 2 tbs half and half (I just used whole milk)

2 tbs cornstarch

Salt (season to taste)

 

Cut chicken into pieces with kitchen shears (I cut them into thirds), then put the pieces into a gallon ziplock bag and seal. Pound the chicken flat with a meat mallet. I don't have one, so I used our rolling pin. It worked out fine.

Grind the Ritz crackers into crumbs. The recipe suggested a food processor, but I just put them into a ziplock bag and crushed them with back of a wooden spoon. The meat mallet would also work well here. Put the crumbs in a shallow pan.

Dredge each piece of the chicken in the bread crumbs, coating both sides generously. Most of the other Ritz chicken recipes suggested first dipping the pieces in egg first. I may try this next time so the crackers stick better.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Pour in about 5 tbs of olive oil and let the oil heat up around 30 seconds, then add the chicken to the pan carefully. It may take 2 or 3 batches, depending upon skillet size. Cook until golden brown on bottom, around 3-4 minutes. Turn each piece and cook until golden brown on the other side. Cook until the internal temp is 160 degrees or chicken is no longer pink inside. My husband has an awesome digital temperature probe that made it easy for me.

Remove chicken to a separate plate and set aside. I put mine inside the microwave to hold the heat, but you could probably cover it in aluminum foil as well. Do not clean out your pan, as you want all of the crispy, chickeny goodness left behind for your gravy.

Add 4 tbs of butter and 1 c chicken broth to the pan on medium heat. As the butter melts, whisk the liquid around, scraping the bottom and sidesof the pan to incorporate the crispy chicken remains. Add 1 c of half and half (or whole milk, if you are me) and whisk it around to add it in. Return heat to medium high and allow it to come to a full boil, whisking it so it doesn't burn, then reduce heat to low.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tbs of half and half (or milk) and 2 tbs cornstarch, stirring until smooth. Pour the cornstarch mixture slowly into your pan, whisking as you go, then return heat to medium high and allow the liquid to return to a boil. It will thicken into gravy as you slowly whisk it.

Remove from heat, and add salt and any other seasonings you like to taste. I just added salt, because pepper is disgusting. Serve over your crispy chicken. It is delicious.

This recipe was pretty easy, but it took longer than I expected. We served ours with my husband's baked green beans with bacon and grated parmesan, which is the ONLY way to eat green beans. An all-around good meal, and the kids absolutely loved it.

 

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