Last of the Super Bowl Recipes

City Greeners, we're closing out the last of our series of Super Bowl recipes with a couple of crowd pleasers. The first recipe is for pan-fried chicken and the second is for Philly Cheese Fake - it's a Philly sandwich made with portabella mushrooms instead of steak (vegetarians rejoice)! Have a safe, fun, and tasty Super Bowl Sunday!

Pan-Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 bone-in chicken breast halves, skinned
• 2 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
• 2 chicken drumsticks, skinned
• 1/4 cup peanut oil 

Preparation

1. Sift together first 6 ingredients; place mixture in a large zip-topped plastic bag. Sprinkle salt evenly over chicken. Add chicken, one piece at a time, to bag; seal. Shake bag to coat chicken. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess flour. Place chicken on a cooling rack; place rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Reserve remaining flour mixture. Loosely cover chicken; chill for 1 1/2 hours. Return chicken, one piece at a time, to flour mixture, shaking bag to coat chicken. Discard excess flour mixture. 
2. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 25 minutes or until done, carefully turning every 5 minutes. Internal temperature should reach 165 degrees F. 

Tip: The key to success with this recipe is even heat. If the oil gets too hot, the chicken may brown too quickly before fully cooking. You can lower the heat, or brown the chicken on the stovetop and then cook at 350 degrees F until done. If the oil is not hot enough, the chicken will absorb too much of it. Omit spices in the breading, if you prefer.  

Yields 4 servings (serving size 1 chicken breast half or 1 thigh and 1 drumstick). Total time: 3 hours. 

Philly Cheese Fake Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4 large portabella mushrooms, stems removed, sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 Tablespoons minced fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 ounces thinly sliced, reduced-fat provolone cheese
• 4 whole wheat buns, split and toasted

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, oregano, and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are wilted and soft, about 7 minutes. 
2. Reduce heat to low; sprinkle the vegetables with flour and stir to coat. Stir in broth and soy sauce; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, lay cheese slices on top of the vegetables, cover and let stand until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. 
3. Divide the mixture into 4 portions with a spatula, leaving the melted cheese layer on top. Scoop a portion onto each toasted bun and serve immediately. 

Makes 4 sandwiches. Total time: 25 minutes.

Fried Chicken recipe and photo courtesy of MyRecipes.com
Philly Cheese Fake recipe and photo courtesy of EatingWell.com