Chicken Nuggets

Time & Servings

• 20-30 minutes
• Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Set up 3 dipping stations

Station 1
1/2 c all-purpose flour

Station 2
1 egg
1/4 c water

Station 3
1 c all-purpose flour or Panko or whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder


1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ c coconut oil, plus more as needed

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and dredge in each of the stations in order, starting with Station 1.

Heat coconut oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces until the bottom of the pan is covered. Don’t add more than one layer of chicken at a time.

Cook, turning the chicken occasionally, until juices run clear. Remove from the pan and serve hot with dipping sauce.

Variations
Chili-fried chicken: Add 1 Tbsp chili powder to seasoned flour.
Curry-fried chicken: Add 2-3 tsp curry powder and ¼ tsp ginger to seasoned flour.
Cheesy-fried chicken: Reduce flour to ½ c and add ½ c finely grated Parmesan cheese and 1 Tbsp oregano or marjoram.
Crisp-fried chicken: Replace the egg mixture at Station 2 with buttermilk or cream.

Home Fries

Time & Servings

• About 30 minutes
• 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 2 medium potatoes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse grain salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Overview

Heat the oil. Add the washed, cubed potatoes and let them cook. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

30 minutes before serving

Scrub the potatoes and set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cast iron is particularly great for home fries. 

While the oil heats, cut the potatoes. I like to start by cutting the potato into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Lay the slice flat and cut it into 2 or 3 strips (depending on how large the diameter of the slice is). Next cut each strip into 2 or 3 cubes. Carefully transfer the potatoes into the hot oil. That oil is hot, so try not to let the potatoes splash.

Let the potatoes cook for about a minute. Turn them and cook one more minute. Reduce the heat to medium and let the potatoes cook, stirring occasionally. Use this time to make any other components to your meal.

5 minutes before serving

The potatoes are done when a fork can pierce a piece easily. If you aren't sure, take a piece out of the skillet and cut it in half. The potato should be soft all the way through. 

Turn the heat back up to medium-high for a minute or two. This crisps up the exterior of the potatoes further, if they aren't crisp enough for you already. Just don't leave them on high for long or they can burn.

Put a strainer in the sink. Pour the oil and potatoes into the strainer. When most of the oil has drained off, put the potatoes back into the skillet. Toss with salt and pepper. Serve.

Other seasoning ideas

• Ground white pepper
• Garlic powder
• Dried thyme
• Dried rosemary
• Dried savory
• Dried parsley

When cooking at home, it is immensely helpful to have plenty of seasoning options on hand. Using herbs and spices instead of (or in addition to) salt and pepper improves the flavor of your meals without adding sodium. Adding salt by hand yourself is okay too. Salt only becomes a problem when you let food manufacturers add it for you in packaged foods because you won't taste the incredible amount of salt that is in those foods. You will notice excess salt when you have added it yourself. But still, there is a whole world of flavors out there besides salt! It is worth experimenting and exploring.