I make this up in big batches and we snack on it for two or three days. Beware: it's so good you'll eat more than you intended! This is really good with the cream-cheese potato salad.
Prep time: ten minutes. Cook time: don't ask. Eating time: 90 seconds
Cut each chicken breast into thirds diagonally across the grain of the meat. This makes the cooked tenders more, well, tender.
Lightly beat an egg in a shallow bowl, and add about 1/3 cup milk. Mix well.
In another bowl, combine:
Note: this basic breading combination is really good for plain fried chicken, too. If you don't coat it in red-hot sauce it keeps well for a day or two. Adjust seasonings to your own tastes.
Heat oil in a large, deep skillet with a lid. When very hot, dip the chicken pieces, quickly into the egg/milk mixture, dribble off excess; roll in flour mixture and lay immediately in skillet. Oil should not-quite-cover chicken, and leave a little space between the tenders so they don't cook together. Fry in batches, covered, until coating is golden-brown on one side, then turn. The second side will cook quicker. Remove and drain on paper towels.
While the chicken is cooking, melt butter in a small bowl. Mix about equal parts butter and red-hot sauce, adjusting heat to your taste. You'll need at least 1/2 stick butter for this much chicken. Add a generous dash of garlic powder and black pepper. Set aside.
For ranch-flavored dip, mix a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dips Mix with about 3/4 c sour cream and about 3/4 cup real mayonnaise. Add a couple squirts of lemon juice and enough milk (you could also use buttermilk instead of milk and lemon) to make it thin. Stir together and set aside; it will thicken as it sets, so you may need more milk.
If you like the blue cheese dressing served with hot wings at restaurants, try combining some good sour blue cheese crumbles with a grocery-store ranch dressing--something excessively sweet, so you have a reasonable balance of flavors. The Hidden Valley Ranch mix is too aggressive for the blue cheese.
If your chicken isn't burning up, remove from skillet, drain on paper towels, then place in a shallow baking dish. Brush with the butter/red-hot mixture. Bake at 425 degrees for five minutes, then remove from oven and let sit, covered, for another five minutes. The breading soaks up the butter mixture and becomes more tender and flavorful.
Dip and enjoy!
COOKING MAIN PAGE