Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons Cajun spice mix
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast, each about 6 ounces
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup oil, for shallow frying
- Serving suggestions: Mayonnaise blended with mustard, to taste, or sliced tomatoes
Directions
Preheat the oven 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of the flour with the cornmeal, Cajun spice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Put the remaining 1 cup flour, buttermilk, and the cornmeal mixture respectively in 3 shallow dishes. Season the buttermilk with hot sauce, to taste.
With the flat side of a cook's knife or the smooth side of a meat-pounder, pound each breast to equal thickness. Pat the chicken breasts dry and season with salt.
First, lightly coat each breast in flour and shake off any excess. Next, dip each breast into the buttermilk to coat and remove, shaking slightly so the excess buttermilk drains back into the bowl. Finally, dredge the chicken in the cornmeal mixture; again shake off any excess coating. Lay the chicken on a piece of waxed paper.
Heat a large cast iron skillet (12 inches in diameter) over medium heat with about 1/2 inch of oil. Lay 2 chicken breasts smooth-side down in the pan and cook, until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn over and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Drain chicken on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Place all chicken breasts on a rack over a baking pan and bake until firm to the touch, about 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt to taste, and serve immediately with mustard mayonnaise or sliced tomatoes.
Copyright 2003 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved
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By NairdaOy
on July 27, 2012
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While I'm making this recipe, I feel like somebody's awesome Southern grandma! I soak the chicken in buttermilk (with some combination of garlic, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, cayenne etc... for as long as I can before breading and frying it. This "brine" makes the chicken super moist and flavorful, but I tone down the spiciness of the brine depending on my audience. I also re-use as much of the brine as I can in the breading process. As another reviewer said, though, this recipe's strength is in its directions for breading and frying...a cooking challenge for me until I started using this. I find that if I'm short on time, I can skip the baking step as well.
By amb8402
NJ
on June 08, 2011
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What a great easy and simple recipe! I thought this chicken needed a sauce, so I made a Monterey-jack cheese sauce and put that on the chicken -- yummy!! Just melt a 1/2 stick of butter with some flour and make a roux, using milk. I used left over slices of the cheese and pulled apart pieces and put in the pot and constantly stirring until melted.
For the seasonings, I did NOT salt the chicken because I used Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning (which has plenty of salt in it already, did add extra tobasco sauce in the buttermilk, and cut up the chicken pieces like chicken tenders/fingers for easy cooking and more fun to dip in the sauce. Made a creamy corn casserole as a side dish and compliments the chicken very well.
Following the batter steps is key --- flour, buttermilk, cajun seasoning to frying pan.
By tfoody
South Side
on September 22, 2010
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This is a wonderful recipe! I had leftovers and they were still crunchy the next day unlike other coated chicken recipe. The flavor was awesome, although I did add some seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper to the cornmeal and flour mixture. Otherwise I followed the recipe and my family is still raving about it 2 weeks later!!!
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