BBQ Chicken with Fried Pickles

Ingredients

• 20 Pickle Slices
• 1 Romaine Heart
• 1 Roma Tomato
• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Tbsp. Smokehouse Maple Seasoning
• ¾ Cup Tempura Mix
• 1 ½ oz BBQ Sauce
• 6 fl. oz. Vegetable Oil
• 1 Light Italian Dressing Packet
• (1 ½ oz.)
• 1 Ranch Dressing Packet (1 ½ oz.)
• Olive Oil
• Pat pickle slices dry (this helps tempura batter
• adhere). Hold romaine head at root end and chop

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook Within: Test oil temperature by adding a couple drops of batter to it. It should sizzle gently. If it browns immediately, turn heat down and let oil cool. If it doesn’t brown, Arkansas and Mississippi vie for credit for popularizing fried pickles in the early 1960s, and have been a staple of Southern diner menus

2. 2

   Prepare the Ingredients: Pat pickle slices dry (this helps tempura batter adhere). Hold romaine head at root end and chop coarsely. Core Roma tomato and cut into ¼” dice. Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry, and season both sides with 2 tsp. BBQ seasoning (reserve remaining for topping fried pickles).

3. 3

   Finish the Chicken: chicken breast with half the BBQ sauce (reserve remaining for brushing on chicken later). Bake 5-7 more minutes, or until chicken is glazed with sauce and reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165

4. 4

   Combine tempura mix and ½ cup water in a: batter is formed, similar in consistency to pancake batter. Place pickle slices in bowl and cover with batter. Allow to sit at least 5 minutes.

5. 5

   Cook the Pickles: While chicken cooks, place pan used to sear chicken over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil. Test oil temperature by dropping a small amount of batter in oil. If it browns too quickly, lower the heat. Line a plate with a paper towel. Working in batches, carefully remove pickles from batter and add to hot oil. Cook 3-5 minutes per side, or until light brown and crispy. Transfer to towel-lined plate. Season with remaining BBQ seasoning.

6. 6

   Sear the Chicken: medium-high heat. Add chicken to hot pan and cook 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Transfer

7. 7

   Toss romaine and Roma tomato with Italian: chicken with remaining BBQ sauce and add to plate along with fried pickles. Serve with ranch dressing on side for dipping pickles. • Make sure pickles are dry when added to tempura batter. This will help batter stick to pickles better. • BBQ seasoning is used twice. 2 tsp. is used to season chicken breasts, and remainder flavors fried pickle slices. • BBQ sauce is used twice. Half is brushed on chicken halfway through baking, and remainder is brushed on just before the recipe before you start–we promise it will be time