Recipe: Chick-faux-la

Let me start by saying no one loves Chick-fil-a more than the Lyon family here. There have even been weeks in the past where our family has eaten lunch there 5 days out of 7. Besides the fact that such a habit can b rough on the weekly budget there are other factors to consider such as how unhealthy that can be and it's not always the most convenient option. So, I started looking for other options. I found a few different copy cat recipes online and after trying a few out I created my own version. I'll admit it's not a dead ringer for CFA but, in my opinion, it's a tasty second place and even better, it's really easy to make. 

First step, cut your boneless, skinless chicken breasts into nuggets, strips or just fillet if you're a sandwich fan. Place in a large freezer bag with a zipper. (I used the 2.5 gal) for every two ounces of chicken use 1/4 cup of dill pickle juice. We love Claussen's, especially the hearty garlic. Let the chicken sit in the pickle juice in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Next, drain pickle juice from the bag. Mix I beaten egg with 2 Tbsp buttermilk or cream. Pour into bag and massage chicken to work the egg and buttermilk in. Wait 5-10 minutes and drain again. 

 While your chicken is soaking in the egg/buttermilk mixture mix together your dry ingredients:

- 1/4 cup flour

- 1 Tbsp paprika

- 1 tsp each salt and pepper

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Stir those together. Once you've drained the egg/ buttermilk from the bag,  pour in your dry ingredients. Work into chicken one last time. Fry chicken in oil or lard ( we use peanut oil) until done. Usually 3-4 minutes.  

Enjoy! 

Note: when we make this, we usually make tons extra so that I can flash freeze a bunch to have on hand. For frozen nuggets and strip bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes. For fillet breasts, bake for 15-17 minutes. 

Another note: please excuse my crummy phone pictures. They'll get better as I blog more.