Ranch Fried Chicken

1 Comment

ranch2.jpg

Classic American ranch dressing herbs and seasonings appear in three components of the recipe—the buttermilk marinade, the flour coating, and the ranch dipping sauce—to pack summer flavors into this fried chicken. You can used  boneless thighs to ensure a juicy meat without the time consuming brining process with just taking 10 -15 minutes. Frying the thin thighs takes half the time that bone-in chicken parts require, which allows the fresh herb flavors toshine through. But I prefer brining bone-in, skin on chicken over night in the refrigerator.

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH………

Talk about an unlikely origin story. The last thing that anyone expected Kenneth Henson of Thayer, Nebraska, to do during his three-year stint as a plumbing contractor in Alaska just after World War II was to develop a salad dressing recipe that would become one of America’s most popular condiments.

A plumbing contractor? In Alaska? You heard it right. Henson, 29 years old when he decamped for the then-U.S. territory, was a good cook, charged with preparing meals for his work-camp colleagues. A relentless kitchen tinkerer, he developed a buttermilk-based salad dressing that his crew loved.

In the early 1950s, Henson, who eventually changed his first name to Steve, relocated to the hills outside Santa Barbara, where he and his wife bought a 120-acre parcel and opened up a dude ranch, which they called “Hidden Valley.” Henson’s salad dressing was a fan favorite at meal time; eventually the Hensons began sending guests home with souvenir “ranch” seasoning packets.

Henson sold the “Hidden Valley Ranch” brand to Clorox for $8 million in 1972 and closed the ranch shortly thereafter. A shelfstable version of the dressing was created in 1983; today, ranch is the most popular salad dressing flavor in the United States.

Serves 4 to  6

Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
One  1-ounce packet Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
3 cups whole buttermilk, divided
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
One 3-pound chicken cut into 8 pieces, rinsed, patted dry*

For the Coating:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
Vegetable oil, for frying

For the Ranch Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Salt , to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped chives, for garnish

Special Equipment:
Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more for this recipe.
Thermometer

Directions:
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine dressing mix and 2 cups buttermilk. Seal bag, and shake until blended. Spoon 1⁄2 cup dressing into a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Add chicken to bag; seal and refrigerate for 8 hours. Drain chicken, discarding marinade. Lightly pat chicken dry with paper towels  and season with pepper.

For the Buttermilk Marinade: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl. Set aside 1/4 cup buttermilk mixture for ranch sauce.

For the Coating: Whisk all ingredients together in large bowl.

Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Set second wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with triple layer of paper towels.

Working with 1 piece at a time, dip chicken in remaining buttermilk mixture to coat, letting excess drip back into bowl; then dredge in coating, pressing to adhere.Dip in buttermilk and dredge in flour mixture again, pressing gently to adhere coating. Transfer chicken to first wire rack without paper towels. At this point, flour coated chicken may be refrigerated, uncovered, for up to 2 hours.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. Working batches, add the chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165°F, about 12 minutes, turning occasionally.  Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350 °F.

Transfer chicken to paper towel–lined side of second wire rack to drain on each side for 30 seconds, then move to unlined side of rack. Return oil to 350 °F and repeat with remaining chicken.

For the Ranch Sauce: Whisk mayonnaise into reserved buttermilk mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer chicken to platter. Garnish with chopped chives and serve with ranch sauce.

Cook’s Notes:
You can use 8 chicken thighs or 8 drumsticks or a combination of thigh and drumsticks in the place of a whole cut up chicken.

KEY INGREDIENTS: THREE HERBS, THREE WAYS: Fresh herbs were used to further enhance the ranch flavor—chives, cilantro, and dill—in were used in three ways for this chicken: in the buttermilk dip, in the flour coating, and in the serving sauce.

 

All photographs and content 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.

Thank you so much!

Protected by Copyscape

Grand’s Alabama White Barbecue Sauce

 

Alabama-White-BBQ-Sauce (1).jpg

Photo Credit: SouthernBite.com, 2014

 

White Barbecue Sauce is a regional favorite found in the foot hills of Appalachian Mountains of Northern Alabama. Pit master, Bob Gibson is credited with concocting white sauce back in 1925. This tangy, mayonnaise-based condiment was traditionally used to dress chicken. But today, just about every BBQ joint in the area has  a white barbecue sauce on their menus,  and they use it on their meats as a marinade, and place it on their tables for serving.

The sauce is so versatile, that you can eat it with everything, using it as a dipping sauce  french fries to chicken wings and ribs and even as  a dressing for pulled pork sandwiches. Seriously, this unique, tangy flavor is the perfect compliment to just about everything.

To make a White Barbecue Sauce you really only need  four ingredients: mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, and coarsely ground black pepper. My Grand’s  original recipe called for a little buttermilk and just a touch of heavy cream, to give it a salad dressing- like consistency. But I tweaked it just a little  bit, by adding Creole Mustard and Horseradish to her recipe and it turned out just fine.


Makes About 2 Cups


Ingredients:
2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk (as needed for the desired consistency)
6 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
6 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Creole mustard
1/8 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2-3 teaspoons granulated white sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced

 

Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients until blended. Pour into a Mason Jar, cap tight with a lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

 

TODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor

Buttermilk Pancakes with Quince and Cherry Compote

This fruity compote can also be served with pancakes or waffles or even as a topping for a slice of pound cake. If quinces are unavailable, substitute crisp Bosc pears. They will make a fine alternative to quinces here, and they only need to cook for 20 minutes. Be sure to taste the compote before serving; you may need to stir in a little more sugar, depending on the ripeness of the fruit.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
For the Compote:
1 quince, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cinnamon stick
1/3 cup apple juice
2 Honey Crisp apples, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup fresh cherries
2 Tablespoons honey
Zest and the juice of 1/2 a lemon

For the Pancakes:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter; more for serving
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
Vegetable oil
Pure maple syrup, for serving

Directions:
To make the compote:To a saucepan, add the quince, sugar, salt, cinnamon stick and apple juice. Bring to a simmer and cook over moderately low heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the apples, cherries, cranberries, honey, the lemon zest and the lemon juice and cook, stirring until the fruit is tender, but not completely broken down. Cook for about 5 additional minutes and remove for the heat. Set the compote aside and let cool.

To make the pancakes: Heat the oven to 200°F. Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove and set aside to cool briefly.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk and eggs. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk gently until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated; stop before the batter is evenly moistened. Add the cooled melted butter and mix just until the batter is evenly moistened. The batter will be lumpy Let the batter rest while you heat the griddle.

Heat a griddle or a large skillet over medium heat (or set an electric griddle to 375°F) until drops of water briefly dance on the surface before evaporating. Lightly oil the griddle. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the griddle for each pancake, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Let cook undisturbed until bubbles rise to the surface and the edges look dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Check the underside of each pancake to make sure it’s nicely browned; then flip. Cook until the second side is nicely browned, about 1 minute more. Transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve hot fruit compote and maple syrup.

Cook’s Notes:
Cooked pancakes will keep, sealed in freezer bags, for up to 2 days in the refrigerator and up to 1 month in the freezer. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes.