March 22, 1992

Biggest-grossing movie of the year to date.

I wait for the roof over the garage to collapse.  During the previous melt, I spotted at least four different sources of drips.  Even though the temperature reaches 40, there is no meltdown.  JoAnna does doors during the afternoon and Madison's Mel Gibson sits at the computer inputting constituent data.  I volunteer to make supper.  My oven-fried chicken gets rave reviews, as usual.  (I'm such a kitchen stud.)

Looking ahead to a long day tomorrow, I decide to go to bed early.  Just as I'm sawing some major z's, Andy joins me.  For the rest of the night, I feel like I'm counting the minutes until it's time to get up, get dressed, and get to the Wisconsin Center.  I'm sure I catch a few winks, but it feels like I've been up all night.  My dreams seem to segue with a very uncomfortable reality.

I Love Leftover Chicken

Your latest installment of In the Kitchen with Retiring Guy.

And according to JoAnna and Eddie, it was my best-ever effort the first time around.

That's because I tried this great recipe. (Not one you'll find labeled Heart Healthy, I suspect.)

Ingredients:
Start with 3 to 4 pounds of cut-up chicken pieces.

Marinade:
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
1 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon chili powder (heaping if you enjoy a little more zing to your chicken)

Crumb Coating Mixture:
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fine dry unseasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon chili powder (or 2)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Egg Batter Mixture:
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter


Preparation:
Wash chicken and pat dry.

In a container large enough to hold chicken pieces, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon juice, olive oil, onion, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 tablespoon chili powder.

Add chicken to marinade mixture; cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Oil a large baking sheet, such as a jelly roll pan or large roasting pan. Position rack in top third of oven.

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a pie plate or wide shallow bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, cornmeal, parsley, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

In another wide shallow bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons melted butter.

Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off excess, then dip each piece in the egg mixture.

Roll chicken pieces in the bread crumb and cornmeal mixture, pressing crumbs in to make them adhere.

Place chicken on baking sheet.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until chicken is golden brown and crispy. Chicken juices should run clear when pieces are pierced deeply with a fork.

I've tried a great variety of coating and batter mixtures, but I have never seen chicken come out of oven looking so luscious.