Comfort Food: Delicious, Heart-Warming, and a Pain in the Fanny

February 17, 2017

Sanity, Thy Name is “Comfort Food”

There are days when we all need some stick to the ribs, feed the soul, throw caution to the wind comfort food.

But here is the rub:  Good ol’ fashioned comfort food usually takes a lot of time and effort, and to be honest, when I’m in the need of comfort food, I have no interest in going anywhere near a kitchen to slave away over the stove.  Typically, this disconnect between “I want comfort food” and “I have time and energy to MAKE comfort food” results in one of three things:

1. Go out to eat in a sit down restaurant. (Which I can’t do in my pajamas and typically costs an arm and a leg)
2. Get in the car and find my way to the drive-thru. (Which technically I can do in my pajamas, but is rarely satisfying when I’m craving real comfort food)
3. Order delivery. (Which again, is pajama friendly, but is often cold and unappealing by the time it makes its way to my doorstep.)

Ultimately, none of these were super solutions to my comfort food dilemma, so I needed to come up with a fourth option.

4. Create an easy, classic, awesome comfort food option right at home that is both quick and easy.

As the kids say these days:  YAAAAASSSSS.

These buttermilk chicken tenders have all of the comfort food vibe you could ever want.  With a healthy dose of our Nobody Calls Me Chicken, a smidge (or is it smidgen? smidge?) of time, and minimal effort, you’ll be indulging on tasty chicken tenders that are better than anything you could get in a restaurant.  And best of all, you can totally wear your pajamas making and eating them.  These are better if you let them marinade overnight, but if you’re in a last minute “I must have comfort food or I’ll implode” frenzy, these are divine even when quickly created.  Juicy, tender, and fried up in only a few minutes?  You can’t get much better than that. Don't get me wrong, there is a delayed gratification to reaping the rewards of a long day in the kitchen. But if you simply don't have the time, this is the next best thing!

Ingredients

• 3 lb chicken breast tenders 
• ¹⁄₄cup (up to 1/2) buttermilk, plus more for soaking the chicken 
• 3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbs Wayward Gourmet Nobody Calls Me Chicken blend
• 1 vegetable oil, for frying 

1. In a bowl, submerge chicken strips in buttermilk for at least 15-20 minutes
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour and Nobody Calls Me Chicken. Gradually drizzle 1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk into the flour while stirring lightly with a fork until the mixture is clumpy.
3. Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat.
4. Remove a few chicken strips from the buttermilk and place them in the flour mixture, turning over to coat thoroughly. Place chicken strips on a plate. Continue with remaining chicken strips until all are coated.
5. When the oil is sufficiently heated (flour should bubble when sprinkled in), start frying chicken strips a few at a time. Cook for about a minute and a half or so on each side until the chicken is done and golden and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and fry remaining chicken.

It's weird that that's all it takes, right? No long, slow roasting or tending to a giant stockpot of stew. Next time someone tells you comfort food is too time-consuming, hit em in the kisser with this recipe and tell em the good folks at Wayward Gourmet beg to differ!

Let us know how it turned out, we love to see your creations on Instagram #WaywardGourmet and Twitter @WaywardGourmet. Send em to us and we'll post your deliciousness on our site. 

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