Our Favorite Batter-Dipped Chicken

(Recipe originally posted in April '10)

I had made those bread crumb coated chicken nuggets or patties for years. They're good, don't get me wrong, but they weren't what I wanted. I wanted that BATTER-dipped kind of chicken. And I didn't want to soak it in buttermilk overnight. Or use shortening. So I had to scavenge and combine and tweak until I arrived at...

For these, I used the "butterflied portions" of two whole chicken breasts that were prepped here.

Batter-Dipped Chicken Sandwiches

• chicken breasts, cut or pounded thin
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• buns, lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo... anything you want to top your yummy chicken sandwich!

Butterfly each piece of breast meat. Place between sheets of waxed paper and whack the heck out of it with a heavy skillet. You want it as thin as you can get it without tearing holes in it. Now isn't that scientific? Melt your butter and mix in remaining ingredients until you have a pale, orange-ish looking batter. Meanwhile, heat about 1/8" oil in that heavy skillet you used earlier over med-high heat. When it gets up to temp (about 5-7 minutes), you can start adding the chicken. Dip each half-breast into the batter until fully coated. Lay gently in pan of hot oil and cook until nicely golden brown, about 4-5 minutes each side. Drain on a paper-towel- or cloth- lined plate. Serve on buns with desired toppings.

**To make the Italian Chicken Sandwiches I posted in my Menu Plan , just top with your favorite red sauce and some melted mozzarella or provolone... yum!