I have been a little quiet about the Super Bowl party. I am a little sheepish. I made a few things, and they were pretty good, but they were no andouille corn dogs.*
*(They are "corn dogs," NOT "corny dogs." 'Cause "corny dogs" just sounds silly.)
Well, okay, so the chicken nuggets were really good. They certainly all got eaten. I used this recipe as a starting point. I took two packages of chicken thighs, trimmed them up (I'm saving the fat for making homemade schmaltz one of these days), and marinated them in something similar to the original recipe--lime juice, soy sauce, rum. I added honey and sriracha (Thai hot red chili and garlic sauce). I should've let them marinate longer--if I could do this over again, I'd let them sit over night. Then I dredged the bite-sized pieces in flour and added them to the much-beloved and over-worked deep fryer.
Yeah, so they turned out hideous, which I'm sure is my fault and not the fault of the lovely lady who authored the original recipe. I have no idea why they look like little fried turds, but it didn't stop the crowd from devouring them. Drew says it's because I used dark meat, but everyone knows dark meat is the best. Especially because you can cook it to death and it won't dry out. It's like buying insurance.But what are chicken nuggets without dipping sauce? This is what I am slightly proud of. I took some leftover blue cheese butter from the Christmas party (what? it's not like it goes bad) and mixed it with mayonnaise, buttermilk, and more sriracha. I think that if I had to recreate this without the leftovers, I'd do it like this:
1 cup mayo
3 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 small package of cheap crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons sriracha
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 cup buttermilk (maybe less)
salt & pepper
Blend all together until smooth. I'd mix the butter and mayo together first, then add everything else a little bit at a time, because I am really not sure about the proportions at all. Wow, what a helpful recipe, huh? Look, the important thing is that these flavors together rock, and they really rock with fried chicken. So take away the lesson and do with it what you will.
You know...they look a bit more like popcorn chicken than nuggets. Maybe that will help them look better in your eyes. They obviously tasted good. Thanks for the invite! Just have to check my calendar but the menu sounds interesting, can't say I've ever had that! I'll let you know soon!
ReplyDeleteI love the comment about dark meat being like buying insurance! These sound great, another one I'll have to try!
ReplyDeleteQuery: what is sriracha? I'm sure it's something that is going to make me feel dumb for not knowing.
Don't feel dumb. Sriracha is a hot red garlicky sauce. It's Thai. You can buy it in the grocery store (I know Kroger has it) by the soy sauce. The bottle has a green top and a rooster on it.
ReplyDeleteIt's really good--sushi places in town put it on top of a lot of spicy rolls. Here's a link to a picture of the bottle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha
Sorry I didn't make it tonight! I REALLY do want to come but I had to read for my ethics class tomorrow. I'm going to try and put it on my calendar for next Sunday, though!
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