Sallee B's Oven Fried Chicken

This week , I decided to post a pantry style menu that I like to cook when chicken is on sale. The sale item for this menu are the chicken drumsticks. However, you can use this recipe with a whole cut-up chicken, leg quarters, or breast. The rest of the ingredients are from the shelves of my well-stocked pantry. Get ready to eat some homemade happiness on a plate.

Pantry Style Menu

Oven Fried Drumsticks 

Rice and Gourmet Chicken Gravy

Buttered Sweet Peas

Sallee B's Oven Fried Drumsticks - Recipe

I adapted this recipe from a Betty Crocker recipe.

Ingredients

1. 2 - 3 lbs. of drumsticks, about 8 drumsticks
2. 1/2 cup of flour
3. 1 tsp. salt
4. 1 tsp. paprika
5. 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
6. 1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
7. 1/4 tsp. fresh ground rainbow peppercorn mix, or black pepper
8. 4 Tbsp. butter or margarine (I use butter)
9. 4 Tbsp. shortening

Directions

• Mix flour, salt, paprika, garlic powder, rubbed sage, and pepper in a shallow bowl. 
• Coat drumsticks and set aside
• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place butter and shortening into a glass 13x9x2 inch pan.
• Put pan in the preheated oven until the shortening and butter are melted.
• Place coated drumsticks in pan.
• Cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
• Turn pieces and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes more, or until the drumsticks are golden brown. 
• Remove chicken from pan
• Drain pan drippings, the melted shortening, butter, and chicken fat with scraps of coating, into a large skillet and reserve for making gravy.

Gourmet Chicken Gravy  

Great gravy starts with pan drippings. Pan drippings are the bits of browned flavor that make good gravy taste like gourmet gravy.  

Yield: 4 cups of gravy

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup flour
2. 1 rounded Tbsp. Knorr chicken flavored bouillon
3. 4 cups of water
4. salt and pepper to taste
5. pan drippings from the oven fried chicken

Directions

• Heat or microwave four cups of water until hot, but not simmering. I microwave the water in a 1 quart measuring cup.
• Add  1 rounded, tablespoon of chicken flavored bouillon to the water.
• Stir until the bouillon has dissolved.
• Add about a cup of the hot broth to the 13x9x2 inch pan the chicken was cooked in. With a fork, gently loosen the browned bits in the bottom and sides of the pan, deglazing is the chefy term for this. Pour back into the container with the other three cups of broth. 
• Set liquid aside to use later.

• Place large skillet with pan drippings from cooking the drumsticks onto stove top burner.
• Add 1/2 cup of sifted flour to the drippings. Make sure you add a nice level cup, not rounded.
• Whisk flour into the pan drippings.
• Turn stove burned to medium heat, its a 5 on my stove. Whisk mixture until it is hot, bubbly, and starts to brown. 
• Gradually add four cups of chicken broth while stirring gently with a whisk
• Continue to stir mixture constantly until it thickens and begins to bubble.
• Once the thickened mixture begins to bubble, let simmer for 3-4 minutes while stirring occasionally.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper

Rice

Start cooking your rice when the chicken has cooked for the first thirty minutes.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1. raw white rice
2. Knorr chicken flavored bouillon
3. minced dried onion

Directions

Follow package directions for cooking desired amount of rice.

Add 1 tsp. of Knorr chicken bouillon and 1 tsp. minced dried onion for each cup of water.

Buttered Sweet Peas

Yield: 3 servings 

To double this recipe, use 2 cans of peas, 3 Tbsp. of butter, and 1 tsp. of sugar.

Ingredients

1. 1 15-oz. cans of sweet peas, drained
2. 2 Tbsp. butter
3. 1/2 to 1 tsp. sugar

Directions

• Over low heat, melt butter in a medium size skillet.
• Add 1 tsp. sugar and dissolve in butter.
• Add drained peas and lightly stir or shake skillet until peas are coated. 
• Heat until peas are nice and hot.

Your pantry style feast is ready to eat!