Mmmmmm….. Nom Nom Paleo’s Cracklin Chicken.
For someone formerly horrified by (and still kind of wary of) chicken skin, this recipe was a revelation. And, it gives me something to do with skin-on chicken.
I inexplicably had some of this delectable chicken gift left over from my last batch and felt the need to dress it up a little. And pretty much all I wanted to eat all day was hot sauce – I think I found a good marriage here between the tangy sweetness of the sauce, rich fat of the chicken, bright punch from celery and luxurious softness of sweet potato.
As written, this recipe makes enough for two smallish dinners. Scale accordingly if you need to feed more. And do go read the actual recipe for Cracklin Chicken. The directions below are what I could remember from the recipe when I was making dinner.
Gluten-free, paleo
Buffalo Cracklin Chicken Bowl
4 tsp. ghee
1/4 c. chopped pecans
2 small stalks celery
2 de-boned skin-on chicken thighs
Salt, pepper, your favorite seasoning mix for chicken
1 large sweet potato (my favorite is the super creamy white flesh variety)
1 Tbsp. grass fed butter, melted
3 Tbsp. Choula or other simple hot sauce
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. onion powder
Put your potato on to bake.
In a large skillet, toast the pecans in 2 tsp. ghee over medium-high heat. Remove.
Add the remaining 2 tsp. ghee to the pan and bring up to temperature.
Pat the chicken dry, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and your favorite seasoning. Place in the pan skin side down and sauté 4-5 minutes or until deep brown and crispy. Flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove to a cutting board to rest.
While your chicken is resting, dice the celery and make the sauce by whisking together the melted butter, hot sauce, white pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
When your potato is finished, halve and place each half in separate bowls. Chop the chicken and place on top of the potato. Top with celery and pecans and drizzle with sauce.
Serves 2 for dinner
Gastography 