The Best Chicken Sandwich Recipe

A Sensationally Savory Sandwich

When you pair the best cheddary-cheesy biscuit with the best chicken nugget, great things happen. Let’s dive on in!

Time To Prepare:

About 30-45 minutes

Foodie Tips:

❤  You can bake the chicken strips in the oven but the instructions below are for an air fryer. An air fryer cooks quicker than the oven and crispier than both the microwave or the oven – it’s my favorite kitchen appliance!

❤  While I highly recommend the cheddar biscuits below you can substitute your own favorite biscuit.

❤  What are the benefits of using tapioca flour? You just found them!

Ingredients:

for the biscuits:
1 Package  |  Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix
¾ Cup  |  Cold Water
½ Cup  |  Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
⅓ Cup  |  Butter, Softened (I use unsalted Falfurrias)
1 Pouch  |  Garlic Herd Blend (included with mix)

for the chicken:
2 Pounds  |  Boneless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Biscuit-Sized Pieces
¼ Cup  |  Dill Pickle Juice
1  |  Cage Free Egg, Beaten
2 Tablespoons  |  Coconut Milk
¼ Cup  |  Tapioca Flour
1 Tablespoon  |  Paprika
1 Teaspoon  |  Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon  |  Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
½ Teaspoon  |  Garlic Powder
Dash  |  Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon  |  Vegetable Oil
To Serve (Optional)   |  Lettuce, Thinly-Sliced Tomato, Pickles
To Serve (Optional)  |  Condiments (Honey Mustard, Ketchup, Mayonnaise)

What To Do:

1. Let’s brine the chicken by placing the chicken and dill pickle juice into a Ziploc bag. Marinate these in the fridge for about an hour.

2. Prepare the biscuit dough according to the package directions. Scoop them onto a greased baking pan and set aside. I use a 3 Tablespoon sized OXO cookie scoop which makes forming the perfect-sized biscuits a snap!

3. Preheat your oven to 425°F – this is for the biscuits – not the chicken.

4. Remove the chicken from the fridge and discard the pickle juice. Add the beaten egg and coconut milk to the bag and let everything mingle for 5-10 minutes. Discard the excess liquid and set aside.

5. Combine the dry ingredients (the tapioca flour, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper) in a medium-sized bowl. Add this dry mix to the bag of chicken and mix everything together until well combined.

6. Place the biscuits in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. While the biscuits are baking…

7. …Pour 1 Tablespoon of oil into the bottom of the air fryer. Then place your coated chicken into your air fryer basket and set it to 400°F for about 10-12 minutes, flipping the chicken at the midway mark.

8. To serve remove the biscuits from the oven. Slice them in half and top with chicken. Dress your chicken sandwich with your favorite toppings and enjoy! (I used my homemade honey mustard, lettuce, and mayo as shown. I would have used tomato but I was out!) Ketchup would be an easy substitute. :) 

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty

Email: JoePaul@KW.com
Mobile: 512-222-3302
Web: JoePaulReider.KW.com

Recipe: Chicken Pappardelle

Pappardelle In My Belly!

Not too long after posting about my Roasted Tomato and Garlic Pesto Pasta recipe, I fell in love with this dish. It seems I like pasta as much as the blue Texas sky.

Pappardelle? It’s a wonderfully wide noodle that hails from Tuscany. It was during a trip to Italy when I first discovered a delightful dish of pappardelle resting underneath cinghiale (wild boar) paired with a nice glass of red. Despite the fact that Italy is half the size of Texas, its 20 regions are wildly diverse in geography, dialect, and food. Pappardelle is authentic to the hills of Tuscany.

Try this dish and I’ll hope you enjoy it!

Foodie Tips:

❤  You can find pappardelle pasta at Central Market and HEB.

Pappardelle costs about $5 and it’s worth its weight in gold!

If you’re adventurous you can also make pappardelle by hand – here’s a fun video that shows you the magic:

❤  Many foodies prefer to cook pasta 1 minute less than the package directions indicate for al dente perfection! What does “al dente” mean? In Italian… “to the tooth,” which implies the pasta is tender, but not mushy.

❤  I once had an Italian finger shaken at me for using red sauce from a jar. “Why would you use jarred sauce?” If you’re not in a hurry, try my homemade red sauce recipe.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons  |  Olive Oil
1 ½ Pounds  |  Chicken Breast or Boneless Thighs, Chopped Into Chunks
To Taste  |  Salt and Pepper
1  |  Yellow Onion, Diced
2 Stalks  |  Celery, Diced
1  |  Red Pepper, Diced
1 ½ Teaspoons  |  Fresh Rosemary, Chopped
½ Teaspoon  |  Red Pepper Flakes
2 Cups  |  Bertolli Organic Pasta Sauce (Olive Oil, Garlic & Basil)
⅔ Cup  |  Chicken Broth
1 Pound  |  Pappardelle
¼ Cup  |  Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Chopped
To Love  |  Parmigiano-Reggiano, Shredded

What To Do:

1. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or medium-sized pot over medium-high heat.

2. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and saute it until golden brown (about 5 minutes).

3. Add the onion, celery, and red pepper – cook until the onion is soft and translucent (about 3 minutes).

4. Add the fresh rosemary and red pepper flakes. Cook 1-2 minutes to marry.

5. Add the pasta sauce and broth, stir, and bring to a boil. Shred the chicken with a fork or wooden spoon. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

6. While the sauce is simmering, prepare the pappardelle and add to the sauce.

7. Transfer your chicken pappardelle to a pasta bowl (or plate). Top with freshly chopped parsley and parmigiano-reggiano. Molto bene!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

Email: JoePaul@KW.com
Mobile: 512-222-3302
Web: JoePaul.KWRealty.com

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes – there’s more than 50 recipes here on the Home Style Austin blog!

 

 

Chicken Basil Orzo Soup Recipe

Soup’s On!

Any of my friends, family, or coworkers will tell you that I’m kind of a ridiculous fan of soup. I love it! I enjoy making soup at home where I can cozy-up with a warm bowl in the cold of winter. And even on brutally hot summer days when the rest of the world is dining on popsicles, I can be found in the kitchen making soup … and then I have a popsicle for dessert!

The first night I made this bowl of soup I realized I didn’t use nearly enough basil; it just tasted like a pretty classic chicken noodle soup. But the second day when I reheated it, I added in another handful of basil and it totally rocked; it was wonderfully herb-a-licious!

If you’re a fan of chicken soup, grab some fresh basil and give this Home Style Austin recipe a go!

Foodie Tip:

❤  We arm-wrestled over whether this should be called Chicken Basil Orzo Soup or Turkey Basil Orzo Soup. Either way, we all win!

Ingredients: 

1 Teaspoon  |  Olive Oil
1/2  |  Sweet Yellow Onion, Diced
2  |  Carrots, Peeled And Diced
2 Stalks  |  Celery, Diced
3 Cloves  |  Garlic, Minced
8 Cups  |  Good-Quality Chicken Stock
2 Cups  |  Cooked Chicken, Diced Into Bite-Sized Chunks
2  |  Bay Leaves
To Taste  |  Sea Salt And Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
5-6  |  Fresh Basil Leaves, Chopped
1 Cup  |  Dried Orzo Pasta

Directions: 

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large cooking pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add onion and stir for 1-2 minutes. Then add carrots, celery and garlic then stir for 60 seconds. Stir in chicken stock, diced chicken, and bay leaves, then season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for an hour (or 30 minutes if you’re rushed).

2. Raise heat to medium-high and bring the soup back to a boil. Then add basil and dried orzo pasta and cook per instructions until the pasta is al dente. Taste and re-season with additional salt and pepper (or more basil) if needed. Serve warm.

Yields: 3-4 Servings

Love this recipe? We want to hear from you!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes!

Home Style Austin Orzo Salad Recipe

A Great-Tasting Orzo Salad

If you love orzo short-cut pasta as much as I do, you’ll want to try this Home Style Austin house favorite – you might find it becoming a regular side or main dish at your dinner table.

Foodie Tips:

• You can make this salad ahead of time and let it chill in the refrigerator – perfect to take on-the-go for a picnic or to the office for lunchtime.
• You can also serve it warm and introduce some protein to make it a main course meal; adding chicken or roasted rotisserie chicken makes this dish delicious!
• If you’re shy with raw onion you can eliminate it or reduce it to ¼ cup.
• I added goat cheese to lessen the intensity of the blue cheese flavor (sorry, blue cheese); if you prefer one cheese over the other you can go all the way and use ½ cup of your favorite cheese.
• Don’t have – or can’t get – Trader Joe’s Artichoke Antipasto? You can substitute 2-4 ounces of marinated artichoke hearts.

Ingredients: 

½ Cup  |  Orzo Pasta (Prepared)
2 -3 Ounces  |  Trader Joe’s Artichoke Antipasto
1 Medium  |  Tomato, Chopped
½ Cup  |  Celery, Chopped
½ Cup |  Red Onion, Chopped
¼ Cup  |  Crumbled Goat Cheese
¼ Cup  |  Crumbled Blue Cheese
½ Cup |  Black Olives, Chopped
2 Tablespoons  |  Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Chopped (Optional)
1 Tablespoon  |  Fresh Lemon Juice
½ Teaspoon  |  Dry Oregano
½ Teaspoon  |  Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Directions: 

1. Prepare the orzo according to package directions, drain and chill in the refrigerator while you’re preparing the rest of the ingredients.

2. When the remaining ingredients are all ready stir them into the orzo and chill 1-2 hours.

Yields: 4-6 servings. Enjoy!

Love this recipe? We want to hear from you!

 

 

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes!