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: Pecan Pie Bars

The Taste Of Texas

The Texas Pecan.

No other nut will make a Texan stand up and sing “Deep In The Heart Of Texas” more than by the mere mention our great state’s tree: the Pecan. Click this link, if you think I’m kidding. :)

One of Texas’ most famous streets, 6th Street runs through the heart of downtown Austin into the setting sun to the west. Many folks – even locals – don’t know the history of this street’s original name: Pecan Street. Read this interesting blurb from the Pecan Street Festival‘s website:

“When Edwin Waller designed Austin’s street grid, he named north-south streets after Texas rivers and recommended numeric designations for east-west streets. Instead, they were named after trees. That decision was later reversed, and they were renamed with numbers. Though Pecan Street became Sixth Street, the festival honors its original name.”

Whether you were born here or moved here, this Pecan Pie bar recipe is a tasty Texas treat that will delight the young and young at heart!

Foodie Tips:

❤  While these “set” in the fridge, I prefer my pecan bars served at room temperature. Think soft and chewy.

❤  I amped this recipe up with the addition of Texas-made Falfurrias Brand Butter and Pecan Street Rum, which is distilled just outside Austin’s city limits, in Pflugerville. After one taste of the rum in hot chocolate I was hooked!

Ingredients:

For The Crust:
1 ¼ Sticks (10 Tablespoons)  |  Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
3 Tablespoons  |  Granulated Sugar
1 Large  |  Cage Free Egg
¾ Teaspoon  |  Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons  |  All-Purpose Flour
¼ Teaspoon  |  Baking Powder
⅛ Teaspoon  |  Kosher Salt

For The Top:
1 Stick (½ Cup)  |  Unsalted Butter
¼ Cup  |  Light Corn Syrup
¼ Cup  |  Pecan Street Rum, Yee Haw! (optional)
¾ Cup  |  Light Brown Sugar, Packed
1 Tablespoon  |  Heavy Cream
½ Pound  |  Texas Pecans, Chopped

What To Do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

2. To prepare the crust, beat the butter and sugar in a medium-sized bowl with an electric mixer or KitchenAid. Gosh, I love my KitchenAid! Beat until light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.

3. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter batter on low speed until everything is well-combined.

4. Press the dough into an ungreased 8″ x 8″ baking dish, forming an edge like you would a pie crust (see above). While forming, lightly sprinkle the dough and your hands with flour to make things easier (the dough will be a bit sticky).

5. Bake the dough for 15 minutes until it has set, but not browned. Set the crust aside to cool and head on to step 6!

6. To make the topping, combine the butter, corn syrup, rum (if using) and brown sugar in a large saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, stirring with a wooden spoon along the way. Raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

7. Stir in the heavy cream and pecans. Pour over the crust, trying not to get the gooey topping between the crust and the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the topping has set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

8. Wrap your dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bar-sized pieces and transfer to a serving plate.

Yield: About 9 servings. Enjoy them one by one!

~ 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!

Served Solo Or With An Ice Cream Sidekick, Pecan Bars Are Delicious!

 

Spicy Stuffed Cornbread Recipe

Cornbread With A Kick

This week with cold, icy weather blowing into Austin, there’s nothing I like better than cooking in a warm kitchen.

This spicy stuffed cornbread recipe packs a flavorful kick and will transform mere yellow cornbread mix into a sensationally savory dish that you can eat solo or paired with your favorite main course, like my family’s recipe for homemade chili.

You’ll never think of mere cornbread the same way again! And it surely warms-up the chilliest of days … and nights.

Foodie Tip:

❤  For an extra-savory dish you can add some browned beef or chorizo to amp-up the cornbread.

Ingredients: 

the stuffing:

15.25 Ounce Can  |  Whole Kernel Fiesta Corn, Drained
15 Ounce Can  |  HEB Texas Style Borracho Beans With Shiner Bock, Drained
7 Ounce Can  |  Diced Green Chiles, Drained
1  |  Fresh Jalapeño, Diced (Including Seeds)
To Taste  |  Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 Pat  |  Butter (I suggest Falfurrias Brand Butter)
2 Cups  |  Colby Jack or Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
2-3  |  Green Onions, Sliced Thin (Optional Garnish)

the cornbread: 

You can use your favorite packaged cornbread or if you’re shy of one, here’s a recipe I like to make from scratch:

1 ¼ Cups  |  All-Purpose Flour
¾ Cup  |  Quaker Brand Enriched Corn Meal
¼ Cup  |  Sugar
2 Teaspoons  |  Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon   |  Salt
1 Cup  |  Whole Milk
¼ Cup  |  Vegetable Oil
1  |  Cage Free Egg, Beaten

Directions: 

0. Preheat oven to 400°F (or to the baking temperature specified for your chosen cornbread recipe).

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the first five ingredients for the stuffing. Set aside.

2. Prepare your cornbread mix according to package instructions. If making the scratch cornbread recipe (from above) combine all dry ingredients together. Add the milk, oil and egg and stir. Set aside.

3. Butter a 9-inch square skillet or pan. Place the skillet (or pan) into your warm oven for about 5 minutes.

4. Remove your warmed skillet from the oven. Add half your cornbread mixture into the skillet. Top the cornbread mixture with your stuffing mixture. Add 1 cup of the cheese on top then pour the rest of the cornbread mixture on the very top.

5. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown and a knife or wooden pick inserted in the center removes clean.

6. Remove the stuffed cornbread from the oven, sprinkle the last cup of cheese on top then return to the oven until the cheese is bubbly awesome.

7. Remove the cornbread from the oven, garnish with some green onions (if you’d like) the let rest a few minutes.

Serve warm and enjoy!

 

 

~ 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!

Pineapple Cookie Recipe

Fabulously Fruity 

I had never heard of a pineapple cookie until last year when I first enjoyed these tasty treats. I’m a huge fan of pineapple and my friends who have had these have said they’re really good. So let’s get started!

Foodie Tips:

• The only thing sadder than a wet blanket is a soggy pineapple cookie. Make sure and drain the pineapple.
• I’m confident iodized salt is most often used for this recipe. I’m a salt lover and have five salt varieties in my kitchen. I used a kosher salt for these cookies and was treated to a little kick of salt in-between the pineapple nuggets. I liked.
• I recently purchased a cookie scoop which makes forming cookies a snap. Give it a squeeze and see!

Ingredients: 

1 ¾ Cups  |  All-Purpose Flour
½ Teaspoon  |  Soda
¼ Teaspoon  |  Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon  |  Salt
½ Cup  |  Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
½ Cup  |  Sugar
½ Cup  |  Shortening
1  |  Cage Free Egg
1 Teaspoon  |  Vanilla Extract
½ Cup  |  Crushed Pineapple, Drained
½ Cup  |  Chopped Nuts (“nuts” is an abbreviation for Texas pecans)

Directions: 

0. Preheat oven to 375°F.

1. Combine flour, soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2. Combine sugars and shortening in a large mixing bowl (I used my Kitchen Aid); cream well.

3. Beat egg and vanilla into creamed mixture.

4. By hand stir-in the pineapple and nuts.

5. Fold-in half of the dry ingredients from step 1 above into the creamy mixture. Hand mix until well blended. Add/mix/blend the last half of dry ingredients.

6. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet.

7. Bake until light golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. If the first batch turns out a bit crispy, reduce the baking time on the next go.

Yields: About 24 cookies

~ 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!

Shamrock Turnovers

Mushroom Magic

This recipe comes to Home Style Austin from our Brand Director, Patrick (it was his Mom’s recipe). This evolved from a Mushroom Turnover recipe into something we transformed into an annual treat for St. Patrick’s Day by stamping the turnovers into little shamrocks.

Foodie Tips:

• Use fresh mushrooms for a flavor explosion. Try a little more salt and some pepper if your tongue doesn’t tingle on your first “go” of it.
• Can’t find three 3-ounce packages of cream cheese? You’re not alone. It seems our modern day bellies are bigger than the “small packs” so you’ll most likely have to buy multiple 8-ounce blocks or containers of the good stuff and trim ‘em down.
• Don’t have a 2¾” cookie cutter? I found a small juice glass in my kitchen that measured-up quite fine.
• While the original recipe calls for an ungreased cookie sheet, I think I went a little liberal with the egg brushing. I found some PAM Baking Spray helped a lot.
• Why not create a mushroom masterpiece of your own? I used a clover-shaped cookie cutter and made my own version of this tasty treat… debuting this St. Paddy’s Day 2012.
• This recipe yields enough for a party. If you don’t want to prepare 50 turnovers, half the recipe!

Ingredients: 

9 Ounces  |  Cream Cheese, Softened
½ Cup  |  Butter, Softened (use Falfurrias brand butter)
1½ Cups  |  Sifted Flour
½ Pound  |  Mushrooms, Minced
1 Large  |  White Onion, Minced
3 Tablespoons  |  More Butter, Softened
1 Teaspoon  |  Salt
¼ Teaspoon  |  Fresh Thyme Leaves, Minced
2 Tablespoons  |  Flour
¼ Cup  |  Sour Cream
1  |  Cage Free Egg, Beaten

What To Do:

1. Early in the day or 2 hours before serving, place in a large bowl the cream cheese, butter and flour. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until soft dough forms.

2. Wrap dough in waxed paper and refrigerate at least one hour.

3. In a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, cook the mushrooms and onion in 3 tablespoons butter until tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in salt, thyme and 2 tablespoons flour until blended and then stir in the sour cream (yes!).

5. On a floured board, thinly roll-out one half of the dough and cut into about 12 circles using a 2¾” cookie cutter. Roll dough scraps into ball and refrigerate.

6. On one ½ of each circle, place a teaspoon of the mushroom mixture. Bush the edges with egg and fold the edges over the filling to meet the bottom edge.

7. With a fork, press edges together and prick tops in three places to let the steam out. If you want to enjoy your turnovers for St. Paddy’s Day you can stamp them with a clover-shaped cookie cutter at this step – note: there will be spoilage!

8. Place turnover on an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and mushroom filling until you’re all done.

9. Preheat oven to 450°F.

10. Brush the turnovers with egg.

11. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 50 turnovers. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

~ Joe Paul Reider

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

Does St. Patrick’s Day Have You Doin’ The Jig? Check out our “Holidazed” Pinterest Board for some SPD inspiration that will have you seeing the green!

Mini Turkey Cornucopias Recipe

If you’re looking for a creative way to make use of those Thanksgiving leftovers consider this mini turkey cornucopia recipe.

You can stuff these horns o’ plenty with almost anything your appetite desires!

Tips:

  Don’t overcook the bread; it’s best served fresh from the oven. We found that Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheets cut into long  ¼” – ½” strips work well. The number of cornucopias you can yield from your bread recipe will depend on your wrapping technique.

  We bought the paper drinking cups at our local HEB but if you’re cupless you can shape your foil cornucopia liner entirely by hand. It will take a little more foil, time and patience but totally doable in a pinch.

  My favorite pickle is a Wickles Pickle. My favorite mustard is Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Mustard.

Ingredients and Materials:

A Few Pieces  |  Nonstick Aluminum Foil
6-10 Small  |  Paper Drinking Cups
A Few Squirts  |  Cooking Spray
Your Favorite  |  Croissants, Puff Pastry Or Bread Recipe
1  |  Cage Free Egg, Beaten
2 Tablespoons  |  Water
1  |  Pastry Brush
To Stuff And Serve  |  Your Favorite Thanksgiving Fixings (turkey, bacon, lettuce, cheese, tomato, pickle, dressing, mayonnaise, mustard, gravy, etc.)

What To Do:

1. To form the cornucopia, wrap a small piece of foil around a small paper drinking cup. Tuck foil around the rim of the cup and shape the end of the foil into a curvy tail as shown below. Spray the foil on the cornucopia with the cooking spray.

2. Using long strips of your dough start at the small end of the foil cornucopia form and closely wrap the dough around the form from tail to top, leaving no foil exposed. You can connect strips of the dough together by brushing a bit of beaten egg to the ends of the dough when forming. Set aside on a greased cooking sheet.

3. Continue wrapping the cornucopia forms with the dough. When all the cornucopias are complete make an egg wash by adding 2 tablespoons of water to your remaining egg. Brush each cornucopia with the wash using the pastry brush and return it to the cookie sheet.

4. Bake the cornucopias according to the dough-baking instructions. Remove from oven and cool. Free the bread cornucopia from the foil base by gently wiggling the cup from the dough – bend/crush the cup if necessary and discard the cup and foil.

5. Let your guests build their own cornucopias to their preference “Subway sandwich style” or you can make them in advance. Have fun with your stuffings – there are lots of possibilities!

Serves 4-6 hungry folks. 

Gobble ’till you wobble and make it a great Thanksgiving!

~ Joe Paul Reider

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

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffin Recipe

A Fall-time Flavor Favorite

My first adventure to Kerbey Lane Cafe was with Linda, the Editorial Director of Enlightenment Magazine. Linda is a great friend and a fellow fan of interior design and beautiful lighting. She lives in New Jersey and was recently traveling thru Central Texas so we hoped our first visit to Kerbey Lane Cafe wouldn’t disappoint. And it didn’t!

We loved Kerbey Lane’s California Omelette, Rocky Road Pancakes and our sensational server so much (thank you, Masani) that we all left with boxes of the cafe’s pancake mixes so we could enjoy a little Kerbey Lane in our own kitchens. Kerbey Lane offers 7 pancake options to choose from and the mixes can create breads, cookies, waffles, muffins in addition to awesome pancakes. For folks living outside the Austin area you can order their mixes online and taste the goodness from your own kitchen creations, too!

This Home Style Austin muffin recipe brings the best of fall with the time-honored “flavorites” – pumpkin, orange juice, cranberries and good ole Texas pecans. Go on . . . take your tastebuds into outer space!

Ingredients: 

1  Cup |  Butter, Melted
1  |  Cage Free Egg
1 Cup  |  Orange Juice
1 Cup  |  Granulated Sugar
16 Ounce Box  |  Kerbey Lane Cafe Pumpkin Pancake Mix
2 Handfuls  |  Dried Cranberries
Handful  |  Texas Pecans, Chopped (optional)

What To Do:

0. Preheat oven to 325°F.

1. In a medium bowl blend together the butter, egg, orange juice and sugar. I love my KitchenAid!

2. Add the pancake mix and blend well.

3. Fold-in the cranberries and pecans (if using) with a spatula or spoon.

4. Using a cookie scoop, spoon batter into silicon baking cups or muffin tin lined with baking cups. If you don’t have a cookie scoop you’re missing out! Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Yields: 18 (or so) muffins

I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as I do! I love the Kerbey Lane mixes so much I now include a box or two in my new homeowner gift baskets which have become a gift-giving (and receiving) favorite.

~ Joe Paul Reider

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