Nikki Giovanni’s Butter-Fried Chicken

Great food, a bottle of wine and great literature go hand in hand…….

New York Time journalist Elizabeth Harris interviewed the poet Nikki Giovanni for an article that appeared in the newspaper during the week of December 14,2020. Giovanni, 77, whose 19th collection of poems, “Make Me Rain,” came out this Fall. In the course of their discussion, Giovanni told  Harris about the butter-fried chicken she makes for dinner sometimes. That recipe didn’t make it into the final copy of the interview, but Harris did share Giovanni’s recipe with the rest of us in a .a brief excerpt found in the NYT Cooking column on-line.

It’s not so much a recipe as it is a no-recipe recipe, like the one’s our Grandmothers would hand down by word of mouth, and it results in an excellent chicken dish. The texture of the outer layer is crispy and the inner part is juicy and tender.  And in Giovanni’s own words:

“I’m a Southern cook so I use whatever is around. Cut the chicken up or if you are lucky and working purchase wings. There is no such thing as too much butter. A half stick is usually good, though. Put a couple of cloves of garlic in the skillet to let them simmer. I like to rub the wings with ginger but I forgot to tell you a shake or two of nutmeg really helps. If summer, get your rosemary from the garden or your tarragon or whatever is green growing. Do not roll a lot of flour on them. Just enough to cover then shake off. Do not batter them. You are not, after all, a chef trying to stretch your money.”
“Cook that floured chicken slowly,” Giovanni emphasized. “If you don’t have time to slowly fry,” she wrote, “then remember the old blues song: ‘Come back tomorrow and try it again.’   

It really takes the hand of an experienced cook to fry chicken in butter as it is a slow and tedious process. Scientifically, it is possible to cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts in butter, provided the temperature is kept below the 350° F frying point without danger of burning the chicken and the milk proteins found in the butter, as you find in Italian cuisine. As for bone-in chicken with the skin on, butter helps the skin to go brown because the milk solids in the butter brown, but it doesn’t make the chicken crispier by any means. Butter is used for colour and flavor. For that very reason, we adapted Nikki Giovanni’s recipe and we recommend frying the chicken in a combination of vegetable oil and butter, after thoroughly drying your bird, and reducing the temperature while frying the chicken to a slow simmer. This slow simmering of the chicken in butter is reminiscent of the term, à la meunière, which can be roughly translated as, in the manner of miller’s wifein reference to a French cooking technique in which a whole fish or  fish fillets are lightly dusted in flour and then sautéed in butter. The technique is easily adapted by replacing the main ingredients or incorporating additional elements.

Try it for dinner and see if it doesn’t suit your taste. We think it’s delicious, warm and fragrant, and is most  excellent when paired with  a nice Chardonnay! 

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
One 3-4 lb chicken cut up, or 3 pounds of thighs, drumsticks and wings
1 cup all purpose flour
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 garlic cloves
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 stalk of celery
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 stick of unsalted butter
 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 175 º F.

To prepare a draining station, set a wire rack in a rimmed baking pan. lined with paper towels; set aside.

Using clean paper towels, pat the chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper and set aside on a clean plate.

In a large bowl, add flour, salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg, allspice and oregano. Mix them well until it is all incorporated.

Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour mixture. Shake off the excess flour and set aside on a rack to dry. Repeat the same dredging process for the remainder of the chicken pieces.

Add the  vegetable oil to a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven to a depth of 2 inches. Heat the  oil  to 350 ºF. Add the butter, garlic cloves, rosemary and celery stalk. Add the chicken, and shallow fry for 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue to fry the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes. Using tongs, turn and rotate the chicken pieces every few minutes to ensure even cooking and prevent the skin from burning, until the chicken is golden brown in color and the internal temperature of the chicken is 165° F (See Cook’s Notes Below).  

Transfer chicken to the prepared paper towel lined tray, and drain the chicken. Transfer the chicken to the oven to keep warm and repeat frying the rest of the chicken.

Serve immediately with your choice of tabasco sauce and side dishes, like potato salad, coleslaw, collard greens, or green beans.

 

Cook’s Notes:

As an alternative to using a mix of vegetable oil and butter, you can also use Crisco Butter Flavor Shortening. For the record, Crisco shortening has 50 percent less saturated fat than butter and 0g trans fat per serving. It is excellent for frying, and great for baking – giving you higher, lighter-textured baked goods, in addition to adding  a rich buttery flavor to foods.

While frying the chicken, cook slowly of medium-low heat, just about to a simmer, to prevent the flour from burning.

Use thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken, being careful not to touch the bones. Don’t be afraid to break the chicken’s crust to take the meat’s internal temperature; it should read 165 ° F.  Drumsticks/thighs are also done at 175 ° F.  Being on the safe side, a broken crust is vastly preferable to undercooked chicken. Plan on the whole process of  frying chicken to taking around 15–25 minutes, keeping in mind that white meat will cook faster than dark.

 

Recommended Products:

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Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose by Nikki Giovanni 

Butter Flavor Crisco All Vegetable Shortening, 48 oz.

Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Combo Cooker, 2-Piece Set 

Saferell Instant Read Digital Food Thermometer

 

 

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Grilled Quail with Alabama White Barbecue Sauce

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Readily available in most supermarkets, quail packs a lot of flavor for such a diminutive bird. It also makes a divine alternative to traditional barbecue chicken if you’ve got a smaller crowds due to COVID19 this year. To give the bird a bit of  Southern flair,  they are brushed it with a traditional Alabama White barbecue sauce; its tanginess and subtle spice is a fine foil to the slightly gamey flavor of the birds.

Quail only requires a short amount of cooking time over high heat to reach the proper doneness of medium rare. Since the bird has so little natural fat, cooking beyond medium-rare runs the risk of developing a grainy texture in the meat.

Alabama white sauce was made famous by Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama. Alabama white sauce is mayonnaise based, instead of tomato based, which gives it a great creamy flavor profile. Smoked chicken may be the most famous vessel for transporting this delicious, tangy and smooth sauce into your mouth, but it’s just the beginning! Alabama white sauce is incredibly versatile and has become a BBQ staple sauce for good reason. It offers the ideal balance of flavors to enhance all types of smoked or grilled meats and vegetables. If you are looking to change up your taste buds during this summer of grilling, try the white sauce on ribs or smoked turkey. You ca also use it as a tangy vegetable dip or use it as a dressing for cole slaw!

As an alternative, please feel free to use your favorite bottled barbecue sauce for this dish, to keep things easy. You can also prepare the quail indoors, in the oven, using a grill pan.

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/3 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons water
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, divided use
1/2 teaspoon onion powder, divided use
Freshly ground black pepper
Hot sauce
2 packs Semi-Boneless Quail, spatchcocked
½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Directions:
To make the white sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, brown sugar, mustard, horseradish and vinegar until completely smooth. Whisk in water, Worcestershire sauce, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce.

Transfer to a lidded jar. Use immediately or let set in the refrigerator for 24 hours to let the flavors meld together.  The sauce will  keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. 

Bring quail out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you start cooking. Preheat a lightly oiled grill to medium-high.

Pat quail dry with paper towels. Season with salt, pepper, remaining ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ onion powder, and smoked paprika.

Place the quail on the grill breast side down, a few inches apart. Grill for about 3 minutes then carefully turn over and continue to grill until birds are just cooked through, about 3-4 minutes more.The internal temperature of the bird should read between 120 and 125° F on the meat thermometer.

Remove to a platter to rest for 5 minutes.

Dress with sauce and serve immediately with extra sauce on the side.

Cook’s Note:
Sauce can be made a day ahead if desired.

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All photographs and content, excepted where noted, are copyright protected. Please do not use these photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this photograph and all other contents, then we kindly ask that you link back to this site. We are eternally grateful and we appreciate your support of this blog.

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Sweet Potato Pecan Streusel Pie

 

The only pie you'll need on your Thanksgiving dessert table, delicious Pumpkin pie with dark brown sugar topped with a Rich Pecan Streusel topping. Who says you need to choose pumpkin OR pecan pie?

 

This is recipe is a twist on the traditional sweet potato pie, using staple ingredients found in a Southern pantry with a German flair in having a  a rich streusel topping.

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

One 9-inch commercially prepared pie crust (See Cook’s Note)

For the Sweet Potato Puree:
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Pie Filling:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
A pinch of cayenne pepper
15 ounces sweet potato puree
12 evaporated milk
2 large eggs

For the Streusel:
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Whipped Cream, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place the crust in a baking dish and prick with a fork. Line the  pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Make sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Partially  blind bake the pie crust, until the bottom crust is just beginning to brown, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

For the sweet potatoes, place a steamer insert or a mesh colander in a large pot and add enough water to reach the bottom of the steamer. Place the sweet potatoes in the steamer and bring the water to a boil. Cover the pot, lower the heat, and cook over simmering water for about 25 minutes, until very tender. Check occasionally to be sure the water does not completely evaporate.Transfer the sweet potatoes to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, gradually add the milk then butter. Process until silken. Note: the puree can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

To a large bowl, add   thee sugar, light brown sugar,  flour, cinnamon,  vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper. Add the sweet potato puree, evaporated milk, and eggs. Stir to combine and set aside.

To make the streusel, combine dark brown sugar, old fashioned oats, chopped pecans, flour, butter, cinnamon, teaspoon nutmeg in a large bowl.

Add the pie filling to the prepared crust. Add the pecan streusel evenly over the pie filling.

Place the pie in the oven and bake for 60  minutes until the middle of the pie is set or a knife inserted in the center comes out clean . Allow the pie to cool before serving with whip cream.

 

Cook’s Notes:

There is nothing like a homemade pie crust. If you have the time, here is a simple recipe for a for single-crust pie  pastry (9 inches): Combine 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cut in 1/2 cup cold butter until crumbly. Gradually add 3-5 tablespoons ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.