Ranch Oven Fried Chicken

Evening friends!  I hope you are all well, or at least well fed, and happy!

This recipe was an experiment with myself.  I was at dinner with some of my sisters and brothers in law, and one of my sisters ordered this off of the menu.  I was skeptical.  I still don't get how baking chicken in the oven can make it crispy.  I mean it is obvious I think it isn't possible because, I have never done it.  Everyone else always says it works so I thought I would recreate these babies at home and find out for sure!  They were perfect, in fact they are far better than the restaurant where they were originally ordered!

For the seasoning, just use a dry packet or you can find my recipe for Ranch Seasoning mix here. or just buy it.  Mix it in with the melted butter for just an extra kick or ranch.  I found that the wavy Lays are the best, as they are a wee bit thicker.  You can make your crumbs almost dust or leave them a tiny bit chunky.  If they are TO chunky though, they won't stick to the chicken.   I am so bossy, aren't I??

I love these dipped in ketchup.  I felt like dipping them in ranch was kind of like eating a poached egg on a chicken cutlet.  I couldn't do it.  It seems to....I don't know, cruel?  HA!

Enjoy these as much as we did.  Remember, nobody said these were healthy, but if you figure that butter covers 9-12 chicken strips, it doesn't feel so bad in your mind.  I promise!

For this recipe, you will need:
3 large bones skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 3 or 4 strips each
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp dry ranch dressing mix
9 1/2 ounce bag of Lays Wavy Ranch Potato Chip. (made into crumbs)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and set aside.
Melt your butter in a bowl and then add the dry ranch seasoning to the butter.  Get your potato chip crumbs into a large Ziploc bag.  Place your chicken strips into the bowl and using tongs or a fork, make sure they are ALL COATED in the butter.  One at a time, place them into your potato chip bag and press the coating into the chicken.  When it is all coated,  lay on to the baking sheet and continue with the rest of your chicken.

Yes, that is a mess on the counter, because YES, I do make messes when I cook!

Bake for 25-35 minutes, depending on the size of your strips, mine took approx. 30 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes on the pan, and serve.  My favorite way is with ketchup.  I love ranch with ketchup!

Your "officially a believer" Chefwannabe

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips...

I have been going to do these for SO long.  I mean, really long time.   I finally decided today was the day.  I needed a sweet treat and heck, why not, right?

I considered that this was to easy of a recipe to post.  And then, I realized, some people must have the instructions, they must.  I wonder if I was ever like that?  Give me instructions and you can bet I am straying away from them, ESPECIALLY if they are in writing!  HA!  Youngest child syndrome, it controls my life friends, it CONTROLS my life.

You can use, milk, dark, semi sweet, or white chocolate for me.  In my world, there is nothing besides milk and white, so I used both, one for dipping and one for decorating.  I mean if you groove on dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, go with it.  OMG you could mix peanut butter and milk chocolate............oh.  OH.  OH.

Now the good thing about this "recipe" is that you won't need a whole bag of chips.  There will be plenty to snack on at midnight, in your bed, in the closet, whatever.  Is it wrong that I forgot to tell you how many I got from this batch?  I am goign to say 16-20 depending on how big your chips are.  Speaking of chips, you MUST (in my opinion) use WaVy chips!  They are sturdier and well, that is what I recommend.

Here we go.......

1 bag of milk chocolate chips (or whatever you choose)
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 bag of wavy chips, (I use rrrrrruffles because they have rrrrrridges)
1/4 cup white chocolate chips or candy melts

In a small bowl pour in your chocolate chips, and vegetable oil.  Microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring each 30 seconds until melted.  You could do this in a double broiler too.  To much hassle for me though.

While it is melting sort out your chips.  You want the unbroken, unscathed, pure perfection potato chips.  Ok well, I want those, you can use whichever ones you want.  Do not use tongs for this, no forks, no toothpicks.  Scrub your hands and then get those fingers in there.  Dip one side, hold on to the wet chocolate and dip the other, it will even out when you lay it down and nobody will know your paws were on it.  Ever.  Work fast and make sure to let it drip the extra chocolate.  Lay onto a foil or parchment lined cookie sheet.  Do this with all of them and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, back at the microwave, put your white chocolate chips or candy melts in a  small Ziploc bag.  Microwave 20 seconds at a time until they are melted.  Snip the TINIEST bit off the corner and drizzle those pretzels with ribbons of beautiful white chocolate!!  Any designs you want, I just did a basic ziggy, zaggy, crissy, crossy sort of thingy. 

Refrigerate another 15 minutes and serve.  If you have a cool place to keep these, perfect otherwise leave them in the fridge until you are ready to eat!

Enjoy your treats, trust me, it is delicious!

Your "can you possibly make potato chips LESS healthy" chefwannabe

My sister's Tuna Noodle Casserole

You know when you love something that someone else makes?  You try to make it but the reality is, it just never tastes the same.  It always tastes better when the original person makes it.  This is how I feel about my sister Karen's, Tuna Noodle Casserole!

I don't know what it is, I can do it exactly the same and it is made with cream soups.  How do you mess that up?   But mine, NEVER tastes like hers.  Hers turns out creamy and perfectly seasoned every single time.  Oh wait, did I mention she is my oldest sister?  She is oldest of 10, and I am the youngest!  Anyway, didn't want that fact to get by anyone.  Mwaahahaha

You may have seen this recipe a million times, but for those who haven't, if you like tuna, please try it.  It seems everyone has their own little tweaks and twists.  I have made it with a homemade cream sauce, blah blah blah, it just isn't tuna noodle casserole without the canned soups.  Sorry.  I don't know if it can ever turn out like hers.  I meant to get this up when Lent started but alas, with that long sickness it is just getting up now.  Make it tonight or next Friday or ANY night of the week!!

Here is what you will need:
1 pkg wide egg noodles (sometimes she uses the ones from the freezer section!)
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
2 cans of tuna in water, DRAINED
1 soup can of milk
1 onion finely chopped
2 cups crushed up PLAIN potato chips
salt and pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to package directions.  In a saucepan, add in 1 tbsp of butter and chopped onions.  Cook until translucent.   Add in cream soups, milk and salt and pepper to taste and cook until warmed through.  Combine this mixture with your egg noodles and mix thoroughly.  Pour into buttered 9x13 baking dish, cover completely with the crushed potato chips and bake for 10-15 minutes.  Be careful not to bake to long or your casserole will be dry!

Thanks Karen for making sure to snap a photo and making this for me when I was getting over being so sick!!  Love ya!!

Karen, the sister.

I have actually even added some cheese to the sauce on occasion.  Just sayin...

Your "tuna noodle casserole ROCKS" chewannabe

Chris