No joke, ladies. Next time you have chicken to go, leave the not-so-juicy breast meat for chicken salad sandwiches the day after. Tonight I used Popeyes fried chicken, skin and all. Chop fine, then toss with mayo, a dash of lemon juice, my secret ingredient – a dollop of cream cheese – and season as needed with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Yum!!!

1 chicken, cut into parts
Chicken stock (optional)
½ can of roux
2 large onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 lb. plain smoked sausage, sliced into coins
Cajun seasoning
Salt/pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Fill a large soup pot 1/3 full of water and/or chicken stock. Heat to boiling and add roux, stirring constantly for 5 – 10 min until all clumps of roux are completely dissolved. Stop stirring and allow the roux mixture to boil until it is frothing. Once this starts, let it continue for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chopped sausages and vegetables, holding back a small handful of the green onions. Give it a stir and then season. Let it all come to a boil again, turn the fire down to medium and cook down for 30 minutes. Add chicken, return to boiling, turn fire to medium and cook for 45 minutes until chicken is cooked. As chicken is cooking, skim off any brown imperfections or excess oil and discard.

Keep fire on medium to low heat. Remove and cool chicken, then de-bone the meat and return it to the pot. Taste the gumbo and season again, if necessary. When seasoning is perfect, add in the reserved fresh green onions about ten minutes before serving. Serve over white rice in bowls.

Notes:
Be very sure to purchase plain smoked pork sausage without cheese or Italian herbs. Check the ingredients list if the name is ambiguous. Herbs will wreck the flavor of the gumbo.

A large soup pot means something 6 to 8 quarts in size.

Either homemade or canned chicken stock can be used, but the canned stock might be salty so I would not include salt in the first seasoning. I usually used a half and half combination of water and stock to start the gumbo.

I often used all dark meat to make this gumbo – chicken legs with the back attached – but it is traditionally prepared with the whole chicken. You choose according to your family’s taste. Any combination of parts equal to the weight of one chicken would work.

My dad’s rule of thumb for seasoning was one good sprinkle across the entire surface of the pot. So the first time the recipe says to season – give a good sprinkle of Cajun seasoning and a lighter sprinkle of the salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders as they are all contained in the Cajun seasoning. Once the chicken is cooked and the recipe says to season again, the gumbo usually needs salt and Cajun spice. Mine usually got a bit more of all the other seasonings as well, but it depends on what you give it the first time. It will be a learning process to get your taste buds adjusted to which seasoning is needed, but try to make it taste like mine and when unsure, give a pinch of one thing, let it cook for ten minutes and taste again to see if you got it right. If not, add a different one and repeat the cooking and tasting again. Too, remember that individuals can always add more hot sauce and Cajun seasoning to their own bowls. You do need a certain amount of spice to give the gumbo it’s proper flavor but there’s no need make it very spicy in the pot, especially if you’re serving children.

The brown “imperfections” I mention in the recipe looks like brown goop on the surface. Sometimes there is very little and sometimes there is a ton, but it should come out before serving. Regarding the oil, there should be only a thin layer so remove any more than that.

Mix margarine well with seasonings. Place chicken skin side down on broiler rack and brush with half of margarine. Broil about 6 inches from heat about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn, brush with remaining baste and broil 15 to 20 minutes longer, until chicken is tender.

boneless, skinless chicken breasts
jar of favourite tomato sauce
pinch of oregano
pinch of minced onions

Heat oven to 350F. Line a baking pan with tinfoil with long ends extending on either side of the pan (used later to cover the chicken while cooking). Place skinless, boneless chicken breasts flat in the baking pan. Any number of chicken breasts may be used.

Cover the chicken liberally with favourite tomato sauce. Sprinkle oregano and onions lightly over the chicken, and cover the pan with the extra tinfoil. Cook for 90 minutes at 350F; when there are 30 minutes remaining, uncover the chicken breasts and allow to finish cooking.

3 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
1 – 2 & 1/2 pound fryer chicken, cut up
1 teaspoon salt
1 taspoon pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup bacon drippings

Combine water and salt in a large bowl; add chicken. Cover and chill for 8 hours. Drain chicken and rinse with cold water; pat dry.

Combine salt and pepper; sprinkle half of mixture over chicken.

Combine remaining salt-and-pepper mixture with flour in a zip-top bag. Place 2 pieces of chicken in the bag, seal and shake to coat. Remove chicken to a plate and repeat until all pieces are coated.

Combine oil and bacon drippings in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet; heat to 360 degrees F. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, skin side down. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Uncover and cook for 9 minutes.

Turn chicken pieces, cover and cook for 6 minutes. Uncover and cook for 5 to 9 minutes, turning pieces during the last 3 minutes for even browning if necessary. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.

For best results, keep the oil temperature between 300 and 325 degreees F. Substitute 2 cups buttermilk for the saltwater solution, if desired. Serves 4.

Notes:
If this looks a little labor intensive to you, I’m not going to kid ya… it is. My advice – because these are WELL worth the effort – is to simply start cooking an hour ahead. Ours were cooking while we chatted and had yummy Saturday afternoon drinks. Then when Mecandes had to use the telephone, I employed the timer on the microwave to keep track of the minutes and got the kitchen and dishes all cleaned up before supper.

I’d never fried bone-in chicken pieces before. Always before I’d slice up some boneless chicken and fry them in what I now realize was probably way too much oil. This recipe doesn’t take near so much, so is nicer on the budget. Instead of a whole chicken, I opted for a value pack full of drumsticks to make them easier for little fingers to eat. Oh, and I didn’t have time for the saltwater solution, but the chicken was fresh so it didn’t suffer much in toughness.

We have these with yogurt scones and a green salad. Simple perfect food.

1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk celery
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 & 1/2 cup water
1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix
1/2 cup sour cream

Chop and saute vegetables in olive oil until transparent.
Cut chicken into strips and add to the vegetables, cooking until no longer pink.
Add water and soup mix, simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir in sour cream and serve over cooked rice or egg noodles.

Possible addition: If you’d like something even more substantial, add one cup frozen vegetables with water and soup mix.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a pizza pan. Cook bacon and drain on paper towels. Slice chicken breasts and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink and juices run clear. Cool and set aside.

Prepare pizza crust (depending on if you purchase or make your own) and bake for 7 minutes in preheated oven until it begins to turn golden brown. Spread ranch dressing over partially baked crust. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese. Place tomatoes, green onion and chicken on top of mozzarella cheese. Top lastly with Cheddar cheese. Return to the oven for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.