{"id":5719,"date":"2011-05-24T14:43:42","date_gmt":"2011-05-24T21:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=5719"},"modified":"2012-07-22T16:21:37","modified_gmt":"2012-07-22T23:21:37","slug":"its-not-a-picnic-without-chicken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/its-not-a-picnic-without-chicken\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s Not a Picnic Without Chicken!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Gourmet picnic food is the theme of this month’s 5 Star Foodie Makeover Cooking Group, and with Memorial Day and the long weekend coming up, I was excited to put my spin on a traditional picnic dish. Although born in Chicago, \u00a0I grew up in northwest Arkansas in the middle of chicken country (you might have heard of a company called Tyson’s that is based there), the word picnic<\/strong><\/span><\/em> and fried chicken<\/strong><\/span><\/em> are synonymous. Along with fried chicken, a picnic is not complete without slaw, beans, and cornbread or biscuits – or what the heck, both!<\/p>\n

Here I’ve taken organic chicken from Coastal Range Organics<\/a> and mixed dark and white meat, rolled them into what I’m calling Chicken Bites – \u00a0sounds better than Chicken Balls \ud83d\ude09 , and more down-home than Chicken Croquettes. These bites are pure chunks of moist chicken that’s been brined in Thomas Keller’s Chicken Brine from Ad Hoc At Home<\/a>. And no, I didn’t burn the chicken – those dark bits you see are onion confit. To take it over the top, mixing in a bit of Onion Confit adds a depth of flavor that will have you declaring this the best damn chicken this side of the Mason Dixon line – not to mention less messy, which is a big plus if you’re desiring a romantic little picnic with your honey and don’t want to be caught gnawing on a bone or having greasy fingers or face \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Naturally, the slaw couldn’t be your average mayo-based cabbage variety. I really think that people that don’t like slaw just haven’t had anything except for the often soggy, supermarket variety. It’s a shame because slaw can be a creative vehicle for using many different fruits and vegetables in a myriad of creamy or vinegar bases. My sweet and tangy slaw was inspired by the kohlrabi I bought at the farmer’s market and the luscious mangoes that are still in season and included in my CSA deliveries.<\/p>\n

Thanks to Natasha of Five Star Foodie <\/a>and Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks<\/a> for organizing these challenges and brainstorming inspiring themes each month, click on their sites at the end of the week for a view of everyone’s gourmet picnic dishes. These challenges motivate me to be creative (and give me a much-needed push lately) and have introduced me to a community of talented food bloggers that I’m grateful to be included among. I love seeing their interpretations of each month’s theme, \u00a0and so will you!<\/p>\n

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