National Fried Chicken Day

Today is National Fried Chicken Day! Now, I don't know who thought of such a brilliant holiday, but they're 100% correct. Fried chicken sounds wonderful for dinner tonight.

Now, Colonel Harland Sanders tapped into a brilliant psychological marketing plan when he named his famous restaurant. Appalachian grandmothers have been putting amazing fried chicken on the table for as long as anyone remember, so of course Kentucky Fried Chicken is something we'd all love.

Vintage Louisville Stoneware KFC platter

Now I've never had a lot of success re-creating my granny's signature recipe. It looks so easy; you just dredge the chicken pieces in flour and fry in a skillet. No matter how hard I try, the breading winds up coming off. I have the skillet temperature down pat, and I make a tasty breading. It just doesn't stick. My own fried chicken recipe is fairly simple. I let the pieces soak in buttermilk for half an hour or so. I prepare a mixture of flour, salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a little cayenne pepper. I dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, then deep-fry it in vegetable oil in a dutch oven. This process is quick and ensures a moist, perfect piece.

My recipe is below. Do you make your own fried chicken or do you entrust someone else with that job? (My granny, The Colonel, and The Merrick Inn make my all-time favorites!)

HerKentucky Fried Chicken

Rustic Italian Chicken with Red Gold Tomatoes

This morning, I had the chance to share lovely recipe for Rustic Italian Chicken (made with Red Gold® Tomatoes!) on WHAS-11's Great Day Live!

I love this recipe, because it's a delicious and filling meal with an elegant presentation, but takes very minimal effort through the modern miracle of slow cooker cooking! 

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, around 12 thighs
• 2 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning 
• Salt and black pepper to taste 
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Red Gold® Diced Tomatoes 
• 1 (28 ounce) can Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes, or 2 (15 ounce) cans Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes
• 3 cups penne pasta, cooked and drained (I like whole wheat pasta!)

Directions
•    Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken in slow cooker and top with remaining ingredients, except pasta and garnish.
•    Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Serve chicken over pasta and garnish with cheese and parsley.