Fried Chicken, Corn on the Cob, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

This weeks meal was inspired by the fourth of July holiday.  I couldn't really think of what meal would really capture a true American meal.  At first I thought about making apple pie, but realized since I have  essentially no baking equipment yet, that wouldn't be the most feasible.  I took to google to find what meal people consider to be American, and was pretty disappointed to find most people consider hamburgers to be a true american classic.  (Awkward how I made a hamburger to capture my Canadian meal).

I finally decided on (as you might have guessed from the title) fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob (switched the order to keep you guessing....boom).  I've never attempted fried chicken before, mostly for fear of burning my house down by cooking with oil, but since this is a temporary living arrange I figured why not.

Fried Chicken


2 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (sure you could use one.... but then it would be less food)
1 cup of almond milk
1 tbs salt
1 tbs ground black pepper
1 tbs italian seasoning
Whole lot of flour
Vegetable oil

I soaked the chicken in the mixture of the milk and seasonings for about two to three hours to let the spices soak in.  I read online that putting the seasoning into the liquid mixture as opposed to the flour mixture allows the spices to be cooked in under the breading which makes the chicken a little more flavourful.  After allowing the chicken to soak, I removed from the liquid, thoroughly coated them in flour and put into the boiling oil (note not like bubbling boiling, but hot enough that any flour I put into the pan would fry).   I cooked the chicken for about 14 minutes or so, flipping it once.  Turned out to be a nice golden brown, which from what Popeye's has taught me is the right color for fried chicken.

Chicken Gravy


I made chicken gravy in the same fashion I made it for the poutine from earlier in the week, using chicken stock instead of beef stock.  I could copy and paste the recipe, but in an effort to cut down the size of the post (read: I'm lazy) I won't.

Mashed Potatoes


2 Russet potatoes
2 tbs butter (actually, I can't believe it's not butter)
2/3 cup of almond milk
Diced chives
Salt/Pepper to taste.

After peeling the potatoes and cutting lengthwise, I through in some lightly bubbling water for about 20-25 minutes under they're tender.  Drained out the water, back into the pot and gave a quick mash.  After a first over, I added in the milk, butter and chives and continued to mash until reaching the desired consistency.

Corn on the Cob


1 cob of corn

I feel like this should be self explanatory, but either way....  I husked the corn, boiled it until it was soft, and then took it out.  Straightforward.

Combining all the above mentioned items onto the plate, drizzling on some gravy and some butter on top of the corn and this is what we're left with.

I regret not having a biscuit or something to complete the meal, but I think it turned out pretty good.  Almond milk was probably not the best choice for the mashed potatoes, but it was all I had in the fridge, so lesson learned; always make a full shopping list before going to the store.  Other that that it turned out pretty well, was easier than I thought to make, and I didn't burn down the apartment or even set off a smoke alarm. Kudos to me.