Crunchy Plantain Chicken Food

CRISPY CHICKEN FINGERS

Steps:

• Cut the chicken lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Put the flour in a shallow dish. Whisk the milk, cayenne, eggs and a pinch of salt and pepper in another shallow dish until combined. Put the breadcrumbs in a third shallow dish.
• Dredge the chicken fingers in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg mixture, and finally coat with the panko breadcrumbs, pressing to help adhere well. Set aside on a piece of wax paper or a baking sheet.
• Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the chicken fingers, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken fingers to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and season with salt. Serve with honey mustard, spicy ketchup and/or ranch dressing for dipping.

CHICKEN STEW WITH SWEET PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Rub chicken with cumin, chile powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, the orange zest and lime zest. Coat with 1 tablespoon oil. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces, skin side down. Cook, in batches if necessary, until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add plantains in a single layer, working in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side (add more oil to pan between batches if needed). Transfer plantains to a bowl.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Stir in onion, bell pepper, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook until vegetables are softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oregano and cook 1 minute.
• Stir in tomatoes with their juices, orange juice, 1 cup water, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Return chicken and plantains to pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Keep at a steady simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Stir in olives and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt or lime juice to taste. Serve topped with cilantro.

CRUNCHY PLANTAIN-CRUSTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Step 1 In medium bowl, combine chicken, lemon juice, minced garlic, paprika and adobo. Massage marinade into chicken to coat completely; cover. Let chicken marinade least 5 minutes at room temperature, or up to 2 hours in refrigerator. Step 2 Heat oven to 375˚F. Transfer plantain chips to zip-top bag. Using rolling pin, or other blunt object, pound bag of chips until coarse crumbs forms. Step 3 Place flour, egg mixture and crushed plantain chips in separate dishes. Toss chicken with flour, dip in egg, then coat well with plantain chips, pressing to adhere. Place cutlets on greased foil-lined baking tray. Step 4 Bake chicken until cooked through, about 20 minutes. To serve, squeeze with lime wedge; serve with vegetables or salad.

CRUNCHY PLANTAIN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Pulse the chips in a food processor until you have rubbly crumbs. You don't want a fine powder or large chunks. To do this by hand, snip off a corner of the bag to let air out, place the bag on a cutting board use the bottom of a skillet or rolling pin to crush the chips. You can also crush them by hand in the bag. Either way, keep checking the chips to make sure you're crushing down any large chunks.
• Break the egg into a wide, shallow pan, like a big pie plate or even a cake pan. Whisk with ½ teaspoon salt until liquid.
• In another wide, shallow pan, mix the chips, 1½ teaspoon salt, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika.
• Heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil or ghee in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
• Use one hand to coat one chicken breast with egg on both sides and gently drop it into the chip pan. Use the other hand to press the chicken into the chips, flip it and press on the other side. (This technique will help your fingers not become completely coated in everything.) Be sure to press chips onto the sides of the chicken. Remove to a plate and repeat the process with the rest of the chicken. Occasionally shake the chip pan to redistribute everything into an even layer.
• Once the oil is hot (it should be shimmering and quickly run around the pan when you swirl it), add the chicken. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side and remove to a new plate. Depending on the size of the skillet you might have to do this in batches, adding more oil as necessary. Make sure the oil isn't getting too hot by the time the second batch goes in. Turn the heat down a bit if necessary.If the pan is relatively dry between batches, you can also carefully wipe the crumbs out of the pan with a paper towel before adding more oil.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH PLANTAINS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In small bowl, combine paprika, cumin, the salt and 1/2 tsp of the pepper. Rub over under the skin of the chicken breasts and thighs.
• In shallow Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Place chicken pieces skin side down and cook 3-5 minutes until chicken is browned. Transfer to plate.
• Using the same pan, brown the plantains, turning once, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate.
• Drain off any fat in pan. Add garlic, onions and remaining salt and pepper. Cook until onions are softened, 5 minutes. Add broth or wine and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan.
• Layer plantains on top of the onions. Arrange chicken and any accumulated juices on top. Bake in oven until juices run clear when chicken is pierced and skin is crispy, about 40 minutes.
• Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over top.