Yeah, so this happened. 

It was partly in honor of our Home Girl, Ms. Paula Deen. In light of her recent announcement- of the fat fact that we will forever have to change our eating habits because Paula Deen has diabetes and if we keep cooking her recipes, we’ll probably get it too.

It was partly because we didn’t feel like going to the store, coupled with the fact that we had a couple of frozen chicken breasts, and there was left over Mac and Cheese from the weekend that needed to be consumed.

But then there was the issue of a teeny bit of lard leftover from a Christmas tamale making extravaganza and the big old cast iron skillet that hadn’t seen the light of day in months. Until last night.

That’s when things got slightly out of hand.

All of a sudden, we were dredging and breading and frying and before long, we were both cursing the day we ever fried without lard and wondered how long the house would smell like searing pig fat.

Actually, we don’t fry often. Or ever, for that matter. So we were more thinking about all the pre-planning for the “Cat and Mara Make Food presents a 4th of July Southern-themed Fried Chicken Party”. 

We strongly urge you to do this in the very near future. And be sure to write the recipe down somewhere safe because after you make this once, you will undoubtedly be asked to make it again.

* A few notes on Lard:

Don’t let it freak you out. Lard has gone out of style, but we have to say that we’ve done lots of research and we’re thinking it’s ready for a comeback. Lard was replaced by Crisco in the 50’s because people thought it was healthier, being made from vegetables and all. This is basically a load of crock, as we’ve come to find out that the trans fats in the vegetable oils are even worse for you than the saturated fats in the lard. And even still, lard has less saturated fats and more unsaturated fats than real butter, and way more of the “good” fats that peeps recommend you eat (the poly’s and the mono’s). Plus it makes the best pie crust you’ve ever had. 

You can make your own (which we have been known to do), buy it from happy pigs at places like Lindy and Grundy in LA or sad pigs from pretty much any half-way decent Mexican grocery store.

Chicken Nuggets, eat your heart out:

ingredients:

3 chicken breasts (if you want nuggets), or whole chicken parts

2 cups flour- separated

3 eggs

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

2 tablespoons seasoned salt (or to taste)

1 tablespoon pepper

Cayenne pepper to taste

1 cup lard. Real lard. (or vegetable oil if you’re a scaredy cat)

If using the breasts, slice chicken breasts into inch thick hunks (or so).

Make a breading station: one bowl of 1 cup plain flour, one bowl of whisked eggs, and one bowl of the remaining flour, granulated garlic, seasoned salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Piece by piece, dredge the chicken in the plain flour, dip in the egg, then coat with the seasoned flour.

While you’re dredging, heat the lard in a big cast iron skillet or any other heavy bottomed pan.

When the oil is hot, drop the ‘nuggs in one by one. Fry until you see the edges starting to brown and then flip them over. Keep frying until they are equally golden brown on both sides. Drain on a paper towel. Schedule a session with your personal trainer.

If you’re frying a lot, stick them in a warm oven to keep warm while you cook.

Serve with mac and cheese, collards, green beans, and a big bottle of Champagne. Trust me.