October 6, 2010

Chicken Fried Potatoes

To start, let me clarify something: I never said my food (or my restrictions) were about cutting the fat. That would be just plain silly. Because, in cutting out salt, my main goal is to find other healthy ways to heighten taste and flavor. And fat, when used in non-Paula Deen portions, is fine for the body and even better for food. So when you have an opportunity to use natural, tasty fats in your cooking, seize them.

And this my friends is how we come upon these two pieces of oven-crisped chicken:

Think it looks scrumptious? Trust me, it was. And it was devilishly simple to make too.

The recipe only requires three steps: 1) buy two, bone-in, skin-included, pieces of chicken, 2) take out a non-stick oven pan, and 3) roast the chicken on 400 degrees for one hour.

Seriously, I didn’t even touch the meat with a single spice or oil and the result was perfectly succulent meat with perfectly fried skin. It is a dish that snaps, crackles, and pops with no salt and no fuss.

But these cluckers – although delicious – are not the stars of today’s post. The chicken was only step one of many in my attempt to make quick, evening picnic fare for tonight’s activities – an outdoor, Shakespearean experience of Elizabethan proportions.

My goal was to create a cold, fall salad that was packed with chicken, quinoa, potatoes, yellow and green squash, and a handful of herbs, arugula, and chopped up heirlooms.

Originally, the plan was to boil the potatoes and squash in hot water in order to soften their bite. But after I pulled my chicken from the oven, I realized that I had an even easier, tastier option. The pan was still sizzling with the natural chicken oils (and some fried chicken bits). So, instead of cooking the veggies in plain water, I chopped them up and threw them into the chicken pan and back into the oven to roast.

The result? Roasted potatoes and squash that had a deep smoky flavor, all thanks to the chicken fat. No salt and no seasonings needed.

Using leftover meat fats (think rendered pork, duck, chicken, beef) can really heighten the complexity of a dish and supply deep flavors that you will not find in a spice jar or even a tablespoon of salt. So go ahead and repurpose those oils or save them in the fridge for a night later in the week. It’s less mess to clean now and more taste to enjoy later.

And just because you may be asking, “what happened to the chicken and the chicken fried veggies?” let me direct your attention to the picture below:

Oh yeah, that’s a piece of chicken crackling on top.

If you’re mouth is watering and you want the full recipe, send me a Salt-Free My Recipe request and the instructions are all yours.

Chicken and chow on.

AP October 6, 2010 at 12:44 pm

I’d LOVE to get this recipe. I heart fried chicken in all shapes and styles. Can you send it to me chica? Your pics are always so fantastic, btw

Andrea October 10, 2010 at 9:07 am

Please send recipe! I’m going out now to buy chicken, potatoes, and other veggies! Just looking at the pic is making my mouth water!

sodium girl October 11, 2010 at 9:50 am

Hi Andrea – send me an email at sodiumgirl@gmail.com and the recipe is yours! Thanks for reading.

Linda Bardin June 19, 2013 at 8:19 pm

This recipe looks so delicious ! ! I can almost taste it by looking at the picture of this fabulous recipe. Please send the recipe to me as soon as you can. My husband had a splint put into his main artery going into his heart. His cardiologist has told him to stick to a 1500 mg. per day of sodium. He feels like he is starving to death ! ! So, I need a lot of recipes to make for him to eat. He’s lost 15 lbs. since he was put on this 1500 mg. per day of sodium restriction. Thanks ! My e-mail: linda_bardin@yahoo.com. Thanks ! Linda Bardin

Laura November 28, 2013 at 8:47 am

Just became acquainted w/ your website & am loving it! Would love to have a copy of the recipe for Chicken Fried Potatoes if possible.

Amy January 31, 2014 at 3:15 pm

Hello, my name is Amy, my husband has heart problems and is on a very low sodium diet since March 2009. I’m very happy I found your site. The pictures of your recipes look so good. We were ready to give up on cookbooks all together. Until I found your site. Thank you so much for your blog and recipes. So if you would please send this recipe.

Sincerely,
Amy

Yvonne Anderson May 20, 2015 at 10:56 am

Please send me your salt free chicken fried potatoes recipe. Thank you,

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