Welcome

I am constantly amazed at how animated and talkative people get when you mention food. The mere aroma of certain foods can evoke memories that transport us back to a special place and time. Food can bridge the gap between all ages, races and ethnicities.
Let's face it, the only thing that should ever come between people is a table and some serving bowls.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Pondering a Picnic

The first of June brings with it the promise of bright sunny days filled with warmth and gets me thinking about picnic food. Pretty soon family picnics will be upon us and that never ending dilemma of what to bring, what to bring? You want it to be easy to make, easy to take and most importantly easy to keep in all that heat. Granted with the help of all the new fangled cooling devices that they have these days the dilemma is not as great as it once was so being creative with ingredients can be much less restrictive without giving up safety. So here is my first picnic fare recipe for the season, I am sure many more will come to mind as the warmer months continue.
What is your favorite picnic food?

Oven Fried Picnic Chicken

2 1/2-3 lbs. chicken, cut up
1 1/2 cups of crushed cheese crackers (Cheez-its)
1/2 cup of finely chopped dry roasted peanuts
1 tsp. paprika
1 beaten egg
3 tsp. of milk

In small bowl stir together, crackers, peanuts and paprika. Spread mix on wax paper. In cereal bowl combine egg and milk. Dip each chicken piece in egg mixture and then roll in crumb mixture to coat. Arrange skin side up in baking dish. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for about 50 minutes or until done. Cool on paper towels or a wire rack for 30 minutes, chill in refrigerator.

16 comments:

Chef Jeena said...

This chicken looks so crispy and yummy.

My favourite picnic food is a sandwich on fresh crispy bread. But lookinh at your chicken changes my mind. :-)

Julie said...

I love a good sandwich as well, Jeena especially on a picnic. You will love the chicken, I actually prefer room temperature chicken over hot.

Chef Jeena said...

Julie I love chicken when it is cooled also, I bet this would be lovely.

There is something waiting for you at my blog. :-)

Anonymous said...

Hi there!
Thanks for requesting me as a friend on Foodbuzz!
I'm flattered!
Living in Japan and eating at least two bento a week, I should say that fried chicken is a favourite of mine.
The Missus usually let it cool before wrapping it in crisp lettuce leaves into the box.
Expect more visits and comments!
Cheers,
Robert-Gilles

Julie said...

You are very welcome Robert, stop by often I look forward to seeing you.

Julie said...

Thank you Jeena for the kind words and lovely poem. It is greatly appreciated.

joe@italyville.com said...

looks delicious.... I haven't found a chicken recipe I didn't like, so I'm sure I will enjoy this one as well. Thanks.

Ms. Boedee said...

Looks so yummy. Reminds me of my grandma. At her funeral the pastor told the story that he had visited her before her cancer got so terrible. He was reminding her of all the wonderful things her life was full of and how wonderful it was going to be to pass on. He said that she would probably be enjoying a good steak dinner while we were all at her funeral. She looked at him and said, "Nope. I'll be eating fried chicken!" Her fried chicken was the BEST! I will always be reminded of her when I see it!

Thanks for the nice thought today. And....my favorite picnic food is watermelon. Boring but SO yummy!

Chef JP said...

Wonderful post. You know, I do a recipe similar to this, but I use a mixture of cheese-its & cornflakes.

Gumbeaux Gal said...

Wow! That chicken looks SOOOO delicious! I love the idea of the finely ground peanuts in the coating. Nice work!

Julie said...

Thank you, Gumbeaux Gal

Julie said...

I bet the cornflakes make the chicken extra crunchy, good idea Chef JP

Julie said...

Great Story, BoeDee and I do not think that your love of watermelon is boring at all.

Julie said...

Thank you, Joe

Anonymous said...

that chicken looks fantastic... I made some with my pressure cooker within the last couple of weeks... it was very juicy and very much like KFC..which was what I was going for as it was my daughter's birthday and it is her favorite!

Julie said...

Thank you Gastronerd