Gluten Free Pan-fried Chicken

If you have been gluten free for any length of time, you know that finding the perfect breading to use for fried chicken, chicken nuggets, fish, or anything that has dredging as part of the cooking process isn't easy to come by. I'm sure many of you, as I did in the beginning, struggled with finding that perfect combination of gluten free flours that worked as a replacement for wheat flour and breadcrumbs. Most commercial companies use corn meal and it is a great substitution, if you're not allergic to corn. Since my oldest has a hard time with corn, that meant that I had to be creative and come up with my own solution.

Potato starch is something that the Japanese use in deep frying their tofu, so I decided to start with that. I played around with just taking chicken and using potato starch for dusting, much like flour is used for chicken picatta in Italy. It was OK, but something was missing. As I mentioned in the My Pantry article, I settled on ground toasted white sesame seeds to add to the potato starch. The toasted seeds give the coating a nutty flavor and sesame seeds are high in iron (which I needed a couple of years ago when I battled anemia). I also use this mix for breaded fish, chicken nuggets, and just about anything that calls for bread crumbs. This is also a good way to go if you can't use egg in your cooking, as the potato starch does a good job of sticking to pretty much everything and doesn't need the help of an egg. This is an easy recipe to alter if you need just a little or a lot.

Enjoy.

Pictured above are two adult servings and several nuggets for the kids.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, butterflied (can be cut up into bite sized pieces for nuggets)

1 tsp/5 ml salt

¼ cup/60ml potato starch (by volume)

¼ cup/60ml toasted white sesame seeds (goma), milled in a coffee grinder

oil for frying, at least 1” deep in a heavy pan

Rinse the chicken breast and pat dry before butterflying it. Cutting it in half helps it to cook faster and more evenly. Salt all sides.

In a separate dish, such as a pie plate or low bowl, mix together the potato starch and sesame seeds with a fork or whisk. Coat all sides of the chicken with the potato starch/sesame seed mixture.

Make sure the oil is smoking hot, about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chicken gently in the oil, be careful as it is very hot and can splatter easily.

Cook the chicken for about 3-5 minutes until the breading is golden brown. Turn and repeat on the other side for about 3-5 more minutes. Remove from oil and drain. Serve warm.

Makes 4 main course servings.

Sauteed Chicken and Dandelion Leaves with Tamari

I know what you must be thinking, dandelion leaves? I had the same reaction a couple of years ago when I saw them in the produce section of my local health food store. What does one do with dandelion leaves? Dandelion's are good in a salad, they aid in digestion by stimulating the liver, and act as a mild laxative. They are also a great substitute for spinach in the early spring when they are at their peak. In this season of detoxification, I thought I'd add my own spin on an old recipe.

In Japan this recipe was originally called daikon no ha to sake, sauteed Japanese white radish leaves and grilled salmon with soy sauce. I am not one to eat radish leaves, personally I believe they have a sharper bite to them then arugula leaves, but I still liked the thought of salmon and sauteed greens flavored with soy sauce. The first time I made this dish was with salmon and dandelion, since I knew this green was supposed to be good for me and I wanted to give it a try. It turned out much better than I expected.

I got this recipe from my favorite authority on Japanese country cooking and restaurant owner, Gaku Homma. I've used his cookbook 'The Folk Art of Japanese Country Cooking' to the point that the pages are falling out. He also had a suggestion that chicken could be used in this recipe, so being the good experimentalist that I am, I had to try it out with the dandelion leaves.

Thus this recipe was born. Trust me, if you get the dandelion leaves in early spring, they have a wonderful mild flavor that is surprisingly refreshing and mixed with the flavor of shiitake mushrooms and sauteed chicken, it may soon be your favorite standby recipe.





1 bunch of fresh dandelion leaves, washed
2 tsp sesame oil, not the toasted variety
1/2 oz. grated ginger (about 1/2 inch off of a piece of fresh ginger) or 1/4 tsp ginger powder
2 scallions, chopped
1 lb. ground or thinly sliced chicken
3 to 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted in 1 cup hot water for 10 minutes
2 Tbs. wheat free tamari
3 Tbs. sake
1 Tbs. brown sugar

1. Bring a large pot of water and 1 Tbs of salt to a boil. Add dandelion leaves and boil for 10 minutes. Remove dandelion leaves and soak in ice water or run under cold water for 10 minutes.
2. Squeeze out excess water and chop finely. In a heated skillet, coat with the oil and saute chopped scallions, dandelion, and grated ginger (remove skin before grating) for 7 to 8 minutes. Save the water the shiitake was in, remove the stems and thinly slice the mushrooms; add to the skillet and saute for 2 more minutes.
   
3. Move the vegetables over to one side of the skillet and add the chicken. Saute until the meat changes color, while stirring the vegetables to make sure that they do not become overcooked. Add the water from the mushrooms, tamari, sake, and sugar; mix well. Saute until all the liquid is absorbed. Serve and enjoy.
   

Note: If you are not a big sake person, you can use 2 Tbs of mirin or sweet rice wine in place of the sake and sugar.