July 11, 2011- Pan Fried Chicken Tenders

Tonight I made my best pan fried chicken tenders ever.  I didn't change much in my process except I was more patient.  I lightly coated the chicken tenderloins in a mixture of flour, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and a little cayenne pepper.  I heated olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat and added the chicken.  I dropped in a little butter to increase the smoke point.  (Thanks Food Network for that tip years ago.)  And then, I waited and waited and waited until they turned golden brown on the pan side before flipping them. 

While they were cooking, I thought I would quickly unload the dishwasher.  Katie was trying to "help", but she doesn't help or listen very well with dishes at this age.  While I was putting glasses into the cupboard, she started to pulled out a large glass mug.  I told her NO, asked her to put it down, but she didn't.  It quickly slipped out of her hands and shattered on the floor.  Thankfully neither of us was hurt.  She cried hard for a minute, but then stayed in the dining room chair and read books while I cleaned up.  So, the patience I needed to wait for the flip side of the chicken to brown came from having to clean up glass in the kitchen.  Hopefully I won't need a glass to break in order for the chicken to be cooked properly the next time. 

We had berry salad of raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries for our side dish.