Farmhouse Fried Chicken....

So I tried to make this meal on Tuesday night but Lily wasn't havin it.
After daycare her and I went to the store to get everything we needed. We rolled up and down the aisles while she babbled and cooed. She says  "dada" now all the time. She just starred at the items on the shelves going by saying; "dadadaadadadadadaaaaadadadaaadadaaaa" and trying to stretch her feet out so she could touch things with her toes.

We grabbed the chicken and buttermilk, onion powder and vegetable oil, we got baby girl some more diapers and I debated for about 5 mins if I wanted to buy her some toys in the baby aisle . (You can't  leave me alone in a baby store or even the baby aisle, I will buy something fun for Lily every time even though I just went in there for diapers or formula)
So we get back home and I lay out all my supplies on the counter. Its almost 6pm at this point and Nick is running late so its just me and Lily. I keep looking at the clock because I want to start dinner but I don't want to just put little Lily in a baby seat after being at daycare all day. So I play with Lily and give her a bottle..it's a little after 6 now and she is getting cranky....uh oh. So now the big question....with it being so close to bed time, do I let her nap for a bit or try to keep her up? I let her nap. Bad idea. Cranky Pants McGee wakes up and cries for 5 mins and then is wide awake and read-day to party. This baby proceeds to giggle and coo and want to play until 8:30pm. Her bedtime is 7ish. So the good news is we got to spend more time together but the bad news is I didn't get to make my fried chicken and Lily is still going to wake up before 6am even though she went to bed late and then she will just be cranky in the morning. Silly Lily.
But look how cute she is......

So since I didn't get to make this meal that night, I did make sure to put the chicken in the buttermilk and spices so it could soak overnight. I put the soaking chicken away in the fridge and became even more determined to make this meal the next night.
I was inspired by my current show to create this dish. Fried chicken is such a terrific comfort food and it's a country style meal so it made me think of the farmhouse in Night of the Living Dead. Then I thought about how much I love chicken and waffles and wished there were a place like Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles here in DC...(1 delicious waffle and 1 succulent breast please! ) The crispy salty fried chicken with the soft, cakey, and sweet waffle is pretty awesome. So I thought, why not make a sweet sauce to go with my fried chicken and why not try to make it blood red to go with my Night of the Living Dead themed meal.
So I came up with:
Farmhouse Fried Chicken and Onions with a Bloody Berry Sauce

for the chicken and onions:

4-6 pieces of chicken-I used drumsticks because they are the best part of the KFC bucket
1 med size onion-sliced into rings
buttermilk
paprika
chili powder
red pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
black pepper
salt
hot sauce
flour
vegetable oil


In a bowl or sturdy freezer bag, pour in about 3 cups of the buttermilk. You want to make sure its enough to cover the chicken and onions. Mix in a few dashes of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, a pinch of red pepper, a little (or a lot) of hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Add your chicken and sliced onion and let sit for at least 30 minutes. (I soaked mine overnight to get some more flavor in there.)


While the chicken is soaking you can make the sauce. 

4 heaping spoon fulls of Cherry Preserves
1/2 cup Elderberry Vinaigrette (but a nice raspberry would be great too because you probably won't find elderberry at the store)
a handful of Blackberries (raspberries would work perfectly as well)
1/4 cup white wine

combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and cook on med high until it boils. Stir often. Turn down heat to med or med low and let simmer for several mins.

Back to the Chicken....
In another freezer bag or a brown grocery bag, add two cups flour, several dashes each of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add a little red pepper and mix. Drain chicken and onions and then add to flour mixture. Shake until everything is really well coated.
In a large pan heat oil until very hot. Add enough oil so that the chicken is covered half way. Add chicken and onions but be careful not to overflow the pan.Cook for 12-16 minutes depending on the size of the pieces and flip occasionally. Really keep a close eye on that pan because that oil can get out of control quick and you might need to adjust the heat.

remove onion as they get done and let sit on paper towel to soak extra grease. They probably only need to cook for 5 mins or so.
once chicken is done, let it sit on paper towel or a rack to drain grease as well.

I served my sauce on the side and also baked some biscuits and steamed some green beans. You could put the sauce on everything too! It was especially great if you dipped your biscuit in it.

This Farmhouse Chicken and Onions with Bloody Berry Sauce was to die for! ;) I think Mom's fruit plates are a nice touch of country as well. Enjoy!