America's Test Kitchen "Dish It Your Way" Blogger Challenge!

Over the course of the summer, I’ll be participating in the America’s Test Kitchen “Dish It Your Way” Blogger Challenge.  The “Dish It Your Way” asks blogger to recreate an American classic dish throughout the summer, share the recipe, and tell a story.  This week: Fried Chicken.

For those who don’t know, I’m American, and my husband, Christophe, is French.  This has given us an immense playing field to explore new cuisines, share traditions, and celebrate new holidays (he loves Thanksgiving).  Last Christmas in Chicago, Christophe had his first taste of this “amazing dish” that was crunchy, spicy, and made with fried chicken.  That’s right, the man who has criticized the “culinary catastrophe” of chicken nuggets has found himself enamored with the adult version: fried buffalo chicken stripes.  Not the commentary one would expect from a Frenchman who likes to spend hours tinkering in the kitchen, but none the less, a new experience for him and one he wanted me to recreate.  I’ve tried a few recipes, but none of them lived up to our expectations.  We have learned, recipes don’t always translate well from one continent to another, so it’s all about adapting.  Therefore, I turned to another recipe for inspiration and decided to move the spicy part of the dish to the condiment. The batter in this recipe is adapted from the Cook’s Illustrated “Fish and Chips”, and the heat in the recipe is provided by a spicy mayonnaise dipping sauce.  As I’m discovering, being a good cook is not just able following a recipe, but learning how to use to as a guide.  I’ve also learned that when done right, chicken nuggets can be darn good, and yes, I am calling them nuggets just to get his goat.

Buffalo Chicken Nuggets with Homemade Spicy Mayonnaise

Fried Chicken Nuggets

·         2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

Mix together in a rimmed baking pan and then set aside:

·         ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

·         ¼ cup cornstarch

·         ½ teaspoon cayenne

·         ½ teaspoon paprika

Whisk together in a large bowl:

·         ½ cup flour

·         ¼ cup cornstarch

·         ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         ½ teaspoon paprika

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon pepper

Then add 1 ¼ cup cold beer and whisk until a lumpy batter forms.

Drench cut chicken into the flour mixture in baking pan, shake off excess flour, and then drench in batter.  Place chicken pieces on a cooling rack to let excess batter drip off, 2-3 minutes.  Then fry the chicken in an electric deep dryer for 6-7 minutes, or in 1 ½ quarts of vegetable oil heated to 375 degrees, also for 6-7 minutes.

Serve hot with spicy dipping mayonnaise.

Spicy Homemade Mayonnaise

The key to making sure the mayonnaise “takes” is to gather all the ingredients beforehand and allow them to reach room temperature.

Mix in a deep bowl:

·         1 large egg yolk

·         2 tablespoon mustard

·         1 tablespoon lemon juice

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon pepper

·         1 garlic clove, crushed

·         1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

·         ¼ teaspoon paprika  

Also needed:

·         Olive oil

Place a kitchen towel under the bowl so it slants up slightly towards you and the liquid mixture runs together. Using an electric mixer on high speed in one hand, slowly drip olive oil into the mixture.  Do not move the mixer around like in a cake batter, instead focus on a single spot to drip the oil.  The mayonnaise will start to “take” when that area becomes fluffy and creamy – after a few minutes of mixing.  At that point, the mixers can slowly be moved around to incorporate the rest of the mixture.  A Kitchen Aid with the whisk attachment could be used in place of an electric mixer or a hand whisk for the brave.

Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with chopped chives.  

I have learned that adaptation is needed to be successful.  Recipes are guides, unless if it's in baking - and that is why we have pastry chefs. 

I’ve also learned I’ll never be a professional food photographer; taking a good photo is a lot harder than it looks.