Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Cream Cheese Grits

Anytime fried chicken is involved, I’m always down. I think the use of cream cheese grits as this vehicle to serve the chicken on is a perfect pairing. Oh, and the roasted red pepper oil is simply bananas! Well, not bananas – it’s a red pepper – but you understand – lol. It’s so easy, you really don’t need a recipe. Just roast a red pepper – either in the oven or on the flames of the stove. Remove the skins. Put the flesh in a blender and add about a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Blend until it’s smooth.

Fried Chicken

2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into bite sized pieces

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of Sazon

1/2 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs

2 cups of flour

1 cup of buttermilk

4 cups of vegetable oil

1. Preheat the oil.

2. Season the chicken by adding it to a large bowl and mixing in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, Sazon, and Italian herbs.

3. Add the buttermilk and toss the chicken to combine.

4. Add the flour to the bowl and be sure to coat each piece of chicken evenly. Shake off the excess flour and fry the chicken until it’s golden brown.

Creamed Cheese Grits

2 cups of cooked grits (cook them in chicken stock and according to the package instructions)

4 ounces of cream cheese (half a container)

1/4 cup of heavy cream

4 tablespoons of butter

1. To the pot of cooked grits, combine the cream cheese, heavy cream, and butter. Stir constantly until thick and smooth.