Picnic Chicken Recipes

PICNIC FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the honey giardiniera butter: Add the butter, honey and salt to taste to a bowl and mix until smooth. Stir in the giardiniera until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the chicken: Add the chicken thighs, reserved giardiniera brine and pickle brine to a plastic zip-top bag and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.
• When ready to fry the chicken, fill a Dutch oven halfway full with oil and heat to 350°F.
• Set up a dredging station: Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl and in a separate large bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne until well combined. Use your tongs to drizzle some of the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture.
• Remove 1 or 2 pieces of the chicken from the brine at a time and submerge in the buttermilk. Add 1 piece of the buttermilk-soaked chicken at a time into the flour mixture and turn to completely coat the chicken. Transfer to a plate and repeat until all the remaining chicken is well coated.
• Add the chicken to the hot oil in batches, 2 or 3 pieces at a time, and cook until brown and crispy, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a wire rack on a baking sheet to drain. Serve immediately with the giardiniera butter or let cool and store on a wire-rack on a sheet pan, lightly covered, in the fridge overnight. Serve at the picnic at room temp. Served with softened honey giardiniera butter.

OVEN-FRIED PICNIC CHICKEN

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine buttermilk and garlic. Add chicken pieces and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.
• Arrange rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Line large shallow baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking oil. In large bowl, combine bread crumbs, oregano, basil, marjoram, salt, and pepper; toss well to blend.
• Drain chicken and discard buttermilk. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken in bread crumbs until well coated, then place, skin side up, on baking sheet. Spray pieces lightly with cooking oil.
• Bake chicken until golden and cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
• Transportation tips:
• If you cook the chicken just before leaving, you can transport it warm, uncovered, in a basket lined with foil and paper towels. If you make it a day ahead, let it cool, then refrigerate it overnight. Pack the cold chicken in a covered plastic container lined with parchment paper.

PICNIC CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Rub chickens with a lemon quarter. Season the cavities with salt and pepper to taste. Fill the chickens with the lemons and garlic, then truss them. Rub the exterior, including the undersides, with the olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper, and place on a roasting pan at least 2 inches apart.
• Roast, turning the pan occasionally so the chickens color evenly, until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh reads 175 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes. They should be well browned; the high heat crisps the skin and renders a great deal of fat. Remove from oven, transfer to a platter and let cool completely (once covered, there should be little condensation or the skin will get flabby). Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Remove meat from bone, and cut into small pieces before packing.

PICNIC FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Pat chicken pieces with paper towels; place in large flat dish. Pour buttermilk over chicken; cover, and allow to soak at least 1 hour or overnight in refrigerator. , Combine coating ingredients in large shallow dish. Add chicken pieces, one at a time, and turn to coat well. Lay coated pieces on waxed paper for 15 minutes to allow coating to dry (will cling better in frying)., In a Dutch oven or other deep skillet, heat 1/2 in. oil over medium heat to 350°. Fry chicken, uncovered, until coating is dark golden brown and meat is no longer pink, turning occasionally, 7-8 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

PICNIC CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine first 6 ingredients in blender and blend until garlic and bay leaf are finely chopped. Transfer mixture to bowl. Add chicken to bowl and turn to coat. Marinate chicken in bowl in refrigerator, breast side down, overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place rack in roasting pan. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade. Place chicken on prepared rack and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally with reserved marinade, about 1 hour 20 minutes.

BARBECUED PICNIC CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter until tender. Add the next 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; set aside. , On a lightly greased grill rack, grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Baste with sauce. Grill 15 minutes longer or until a thermometer reaches 170°, basting and turning several times.

GRILLED PICNIC CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients. Remove 1 cup for basting; cover and refrigerate. Pour remaining marinade into a large shallow dish; add chicken. Turn chicken to coat; refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, turning once or twice., Drain chicken, discarding marinade in bag. Grill chicken, uncovered, over medium heat for 15 minutes on each side. Baste with the reserved marinade. , Grill 10-20 minutes longer or until the juices run clear, turning and basting several times.

PICNIC CHICKEN

Steps:

• Pound chicken to 1/4 inch thickness.
• In a shallow bow, combine bread crumbs and seasonings.
• Dip chicken in egg, then in crumb mixture.
• In a skillet, brown the chicken in the oil and butter over medium heat for 10-15 minutes on each side or until juices run clear (180 degrees).

PICNIC CHICKEN

Steps:

• Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs and seasonings. Place egg in another shallow bowl, dip chicken in egg, then in the crumb mixture. , In a large skillet, brown the chicken in oil and butter over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear.