Ah, the family. Gathered around the table on a Sunday after church, eating mama's Fried Chicken.
Fried Chicken brings us all home and it is a true comfort food.
It's also one of my favorites. It reminds me of a certain kind of kitsch. A yearning for days past when life was easy and not so very complicated.
So, today I invite you to a not-so-long ago past, during a time of family meals with no cell phones or laptops. When we all had a hankering for a home cooked meal that hit us right in our soul.
I invite you to a Sunday dinner of yesteryear....
Retro "Fried" Chicken Dinner
Yesteryear's Sunday Family Tradition
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In truth, I don't often have the patience to cook long meals and it is a true shame because when I put in a little effort it almost always turns out for the best. And today, I really wanted to make our meal special -- call it a hankering for some good ol' homecookin'. I came across a recipe from RecipeCurio that I knew I had to try. It got me thinking, though about Fried Chicken, and, although fried chicken is nothing new, I really wanted to focus on our love of all things vintage-kitsch Fried Chicken.
(Image: Judy Garland frying Chicken in 1955).
Think KFC in the 1960s...
(Retro KFC Bucket, KFC Ad circa 1968, Early KFC Restaurant)
Quick versions of fried chicken entered the "fast food" world in the 1950's and 1960's with the rise of deep freezers and fast food restaurants. At the beginning of the upward trend in all things convenient, fried chicken was right there along with hamburgers and french fries. KFC, local fried chicken shacks and the ever-so-kitsch TV dinners were extremely popular.
However, convenience fried chicken could never replace the homecooked versions. And recipes, coming out in magazines (from the 1920s through the 1960s and beyond) as well as in new fangled cookbooks, were a dime a dozen:
I love to look through old recipes, and, fried chicken recipes are always eye catching. Each family has their own version and their own kind: Southern, Spicy, Corn-Flaked, Breadcrumb-Breaded, and finally, the version I tried, Rice Crispy coated. The different kinds of Fried Chicken may be various in cooking methodology with fans of each but they all have one thing in common: a delicious & comforting homecooked-taste.
And now on with the recipe...
Baked Fried Chicken
Recipe Provided by RecipeCurio.com
(A Printable Version Link Provided at End of Blog)
I stayed pretty true to the recipe with the ingredients, only subbing out two packages of chicken breast for the fryer chicken and the garlic clove for dried. It was super delicious and it has since been added to my family's meal rotation.
Ingredients:
- 2 Packages of thin cut chicken breast OR 1 package of thick cut chicken breast OR 1 Fryer chicken.
- 4 Cups Rice Krispie Cereal
- 3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano or mixed)
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1/8 Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon each: Garlic Salt and Garlic Powder (or 1 Clove Garlic)
- 1/4 chopped parsley (I used dried)
- 1/2 Cup Butter
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Melt Butter in microwave for 45 seconds or until melted. *Here is where I differed in methods from the above handwritten recipe: I did the shake'n'bake method.* Combine dry ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Crush the Rice Krispie Cereal in the bag and make sure all the Parmesan Cheese is clump free. Dip chicken in butter and add to the ziplock bag. Once all the chicken is in the bag, seal it up, and toss until all the chicken is well-coated with the Rice Krispie mixture.
Once the chicken is coated add to a baking pan in an even layer (if using Fryer Chicken - place skin side up). I covered the chicken with remaining Krispie mix.
Place Aluminum foil over the baking dish and pop it in the oven.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Do not turn the pan once in the oven.
It came out perfect, and I made some truly vintage sides to go with the baked "fried" chicken. And it really did taste like I had fried it!
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| Some good old fashioned mashed potatoes and gravy with green beans and country white bread rounded out the baked "fried" chicken meal. It was a real winner!
(All recipe's provided by http://recipecurio.com/ and images from Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mamanikkiwilson/)
Sources: http://recipecurio.com/
http://www.pinterest.com/ (Searched Images)
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Enjoy this very vintage KFC commerical!
Click for the Printable Recipe
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