Best Blue Corn Fried Chicken With Ancho Honey And Buttermilk Bacon Smashed Potatoes Recipes

CHICKEN AND BACON CORN CHOWDER

Steps:

• To poach the chicken: Combine the chicken, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, pepper and a tablespoon of salt large pot. Add water to cover, at least 3 quarts. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat, skimming occasionally. Skim, add more water if necessary to keep the chicken covered, and continue to gently simmer until the chicken is fully cooked (the juices from the thigh will run clear), about 40 minutes. Drain the chicken reserving the broth. Allow the chicken to cool then remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones and refrigerate the meat until ready to make the chowder. Measure out 1 1/2 quarts of the broth and reserve for the chowder. Freeze or refrigerate any remaining broth until needed for another purpose.
• To make the chowder: Heat the bacon and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook until the bacon fat is rendered and the meat firming but not yet crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and onions. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the potatoes, corn, and thyme. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are fully soft, about 8 additional minutes.
• Add the chicken broth to the pot. Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn down the heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the cream and reserved chicken. Return the chowder to a simmer, season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into warm bowls and serve.

PAN ROASTED CHICKEN WITH CRUSHED BLACKBERRY-ANCHO SAUCE AND GREEN ONION SMASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• For the puree: Combine the ancho and water in a small bowl and let stand 30 minutes. Drain well, reserving the soaking liquid. Remove the seeds and stems and puree in a food processor with the garlic, cilantro and 1/2 cup of the liquid, adding more if needed.
• For the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium or large nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Saute the celery, carrot and onions until the celery and carrot are tender and the onions are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the peppercorns and continue cooking 2 more minutes. Add the port, red wine, cranberry juice concentrate, ancho puree, sugar and stock, stirring constantly and making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. Cook until the mixture is reduced by half, strain, season to taste with salt and pepper and fold in the blackberries.
• For the chicken: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, chile powder and season with salt and pepper. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
• Saute 2 cloves of garlic and spinach. Cool down over ice.
• Divide the spinach among the chicken breasts, placing it in the center of each. Roll up the meat and tie with kitchen string. Dredge the rolls in the flour mixture and shake off the excess.
• In a large ovenproof saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil until almost smoking and sear the rolls until slightly crusty, about 1 minute on each side. Place the pan in the oven and cook the meat an additional 8 minutes for medium. Let rest before slicing.
• For the potatoes: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush scallions with some of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place on a sheet pan and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and coarsely chop. Toss the potatoes with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until just a bit overcooked but not brown. As soon as they come out of the oven, place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl, add the garlic, scallions, and butter. Smash with a potato masher to achieve a rustic texture, not smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

BLUE CORN FRIED CHICKEN WITH MALT VINEGAR AIOLI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the hot sauce, mustard, garlic powder, and paprika. Toss the chicken legs in the mixture to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the refrigerator and let the chicken come to room temperature.
• In a deep saute pan with tall sides, over medium-high heat, add the shortening until you have enough to fill halfway up the sides of the pan. Heat the shortening to 325 degrees F. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a shallow baking dish, combine the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, poultry seasoning salt, and black pepper. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off excess and dredge the chicken in the flour and let rest about 5 minutes to let the flour soak in. Dredge again in the flour and fry, in batches, in the shortening until golden brown on both sides. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Transfer the chicken to a rack fitted over a sheet pan and finish the chicken in the oven until internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, heat the malt vinegar over medium heat and simmer to reduce by half. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool.
• In a mixing bowl add the yolks, lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons salt. With a large whisk, begin to beat the egg yolks until they begin to get frothy. Slowly add the oil while whisking vigorously until creamy and thick. Gently whisk in the malt vinegar reduction. Taste the aioli, and season with salt, if needed. Serve the aioli alongside the fried chicken.

BUTTERMILK-BACON SMASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Add the potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, cook until a fork can easily pierce through the potatoes, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and add to a bowl.
• Place the bacon in a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Allow the bacon to render and crisp, about 5 minutes. Reserve the fat.
• Put the buttermilk and heavy cream into a saucepan and scald. Reserve until needed.
• Smash the potatoes just a little bit, and then season with salt and pepper. Add the butter, a touch of the heated buttermilk/heavy cream, the scallions and 1 tablespoon bacon fat and smash. Taste and re-season if needed, adding more buttermilk/heavy cream if desired. Fold in the rendered bacon, reserving some for garnish. Garnish with the reserved bacon and scallions.

BLUE CORNMEAL MUFFINS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°F. Grease bottoms only of 14 medium muffin cups with shortening, or line with paper baking cups. In large bowl, mix all ingredients with spoon; beat vigorously 30 seconds. Fill muffin cups about 7/8 full.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm.