Chicken Fried Quail With Creamy Thyme Gravy Recipes

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• For the steak: Begin with setting up an assembly line of dishes. Mix the milk with the eggs in one; the flour mixed with the seasoned salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, paprika and cayenne in another; and the meat in a third. Then have one clean plate at the end to receive the breaded meat.
• Work with one piece of meat at a time. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and black pepper, then place it in the flour mixture. Turn to coat. Place the meat into the milk/egg mixture, turning to coat. Finally, place it back in the flour and turn to coat (dry mixture/wet mixture/dry mixture). Place the breaded meat on the clean plate, then repeat with the remaining meat.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter. Drop in a few sprinkles of flour to make sure it's sufficiently hot. When the butter sizzles immediately, you know it's ready. (It should not brown right away, if it does, the fire is too hot.) Cook the meat, 3 pieces at a time, until the edges start to look golden brown, about 2 minutes each side. Remove the meat to a paper towel-lined plate and keep them warm by covering lightly with another plate or a sheet of foil. Repeat until all the meat is cooked.
• After all the meat is fried, pour off the grease into a heatproof bowl. Without cleaning the skillet, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup of the grease back to the skillet and allow it to heat up.
• For the gravy: When the grease is hot, sprinkle the flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix the flour with the grease, creating a golden-brown paste. Add more flour if it looks overly greasy; add a little more grease if it becomes too pasty/clumpy. Keep cooking until the roux reaches a deep golden brown color.
• Pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the seasoned salt and black pepper to taste and cook, whisking, until the gravy is smooth and thick, 5 to 10 minutes. Be prepared to add more milk if it becomes overly thick. Be sure to taste to make sure gravy is sufficiently seasoned.
• Serve the meat next to a big side of mashed potatoes. Pour gravy over the whole shebang!

CREAMY CHICKEN AND THYME

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts in a large nonstick skillet. Add 1/2 cup of broth. Cover and simmer until juices run clear, 10-12 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add remaining broth to skillet and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low., In a small bowl, combine the flour and sour cream. Whisk into pan. Stir in the parsley, salt, dill weed, thyme, onion salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. If desired, serve with hot cooked noodles. ,

FRIED CHICKEN WITH CREAMY GRAVY

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup milk and egg. In a resealable plastic bag, mix together the flour, garlic salt, paprika, pepper and poultry seasoning. Place chicken in bag, seal, and shake to coat. Dip chicken in milk and egg mixture, then once more in flour mixture. Reserve any remaining flour mixture.
• In a large skillet, heat oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Place coated chicken in the hot oil, and brown on all sides. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking chicken until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet, and drain on paper towels.
• Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the frying oil. Over low heat, stir in 2 tablespoons of the reserved flour mixture. Stirring constantly, cook about 2 minutes. Whisk in chicken stock, scraping browned bits off bottom of skillet. Stir in 1 cup milk, and bring all to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve immediately with the chicken.

MIDWESTERN FRIED CHICKEN WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Put the chicken pieces in a large bowl, and add the buttermilk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, the thyme, and 4 of the garlic cloves. Marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature or, refrigerated, overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and set a baking sheet fitted with a rack on the middle shelf.
• Meanwhile, prepare the chicken coating: Combine the 1 1/2 cups flour, the ground crackers, 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the paprika in a large bowl. One at a time, take the chicken pieces from the buttermilk and dunk them in the flour dredge, pressing hard to make the coating adhere to every spot. Set aside on a plate.
• In a large, high-sided cast-iron pan, add lard or oil to a depth of 1 inch. Heat over medium-high heat until a droplet of water sprinkled on the surface sizzles loudly.
• Give the chicken pieces a fresh roll in the flour mixture if they've absorbed it, and add as many pieces of the dark meat (thighs, wings, and drumsticks) as will fit comfortably in the pan. Fry, turning as needed, until all sides turn dark golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to the baking sheet in the oven. Continue frying the rest, saving the white breast meat until last, and being careful not to burn the residue forming at the bottom the pan; that's your gravy base. When it is browned, add the chicken to the baking sheet. (Ideally the dark meat should bake in the oven for about 20 minutes and the light meat for about 10 minutes, until cooked through.)
• Pour off most of the fat in the pan, leaving 2 tablespoons of oil and the brown sludge at the bottom of the pan. (But if any of it looks burnt, discard that as well, because that is the base of your gravy.) Let the pan cool down for a minute. Then add the remaining 3 garlic cloves and the sage, and fry for 1 minute. Add the remaining 5 teaspoons flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture is smooth and light brown, about 2 minutes. Add the stock and whisk until smooth. Cook the gravy over low heat until it thickens softly, about 5 minutes.
• Season the gravy with salt and pepper to taste, remove the garlic and sage, and pour it into a spouted pitcher to pass behind the hot chicken and the mashed potatoes.

GEORGIA QUAIL IN GRAVY

Steps:

• Sprinkle quail with salt and pepper.
• Brown quail on both sides in butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Dissolve bouillon cube in boiling water; add to skillet.
• Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes or until tender.
• Remove quail from skillet and set aside.
• Measure pan drippings; add water, if necessary to measure one cup.
• Combine flour and 2 Tbsp water; gradually add pan drippings.
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.
• Return quail to skillet; heat thoroughly.
• Remove quail to a serving platter, and serve with gravy.

PAN-FRIED CHICKEN WITH BACON AND THYME GRAVY

Steps:

• Combine chicken, buttermilk and 1 teaspoon thyme in glass pie dish; turn chicken to coat well. Mix 3 tablespoons flour and cornmeal in another pie dish or shallow bowl. Add chicken (with some buttermilk still clinging) to cornmeal mixture and turn to coat completely. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
• Cook bacon in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add chicken to drippings in skillet. Pan-fry until cooked through and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Using metal spatula, transfer chicken to plates.
• Whisk broth, remaining 2 teaspoons thyme and remaining 2 teaspoons flour in small bowl to blend. Add mixture to skillet and boil until thickened and reduced to 1/3 cup, whisking occasionally, about 3 minutes. Whisk in green onions and bacon and bring to boil. Season gravy with salt and pepper. Spoon gravy over chicken and serve.

SOUTHERN PAN-FRIED QUAIL WITH GRITS

Steps:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the buttermilk, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the quail; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Drain and discard marinade., In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne and remaining salt and pepper. Coat quail with flour mixture., In a large skillet, cook quail in oil in batches over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 165°. Drain on paper towels. Remove to a serving platter and keep warm., For gravy, stir flour into pan drippings until blended; cook and stir for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Gradually add the cream, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened., Meanwhile, prepare grits according to package directions. Add the cream cheese, cream, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cream cheese is melted and grits are heated through. Serve with quail and gravy; sprinkle with bacon and green onions if desired.

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Trim fat caps off steaks. Rub steaks with salt, then Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Let rest for 30 minutes.
• Transfer one steak to a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet to pound the steak until it is about half the original thickness and twice the original area. Repeat with remaining two steaks.
• Place 2 cups flour in a shallow bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and hot sauce together in a second bowl. Combine remaining 3 cups flour, bread crumbs, baking powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, Cajun seasoning, sea salt, chile seasoning, black pepper, thyme, oregano, sweet paprika, chipotle powder, cumin, sage, mustard powder, and cayenne pepper in a third, large bowl.
• Dunk each piece of steak in the plain flour, then in the egg wash, and then in the breading, making sure it gets completely coated in each step. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate for 1 hour; this is crucial and ensures the breading will adhere to the meat.
• When ready to cook, prepare gravy: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and stir until the mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk beef broth into the flour mixture, then gradually whisk in cream, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, to let it further thicken. Keep warm as you cook the steaks.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Drop steaks into the hot oil and fry until breading is crisp and golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Serve hot steaks with gravy.

PAN-FRIED CHICKEN WITH BACON AND THYME GRAVY

Steps:

• In a plastic storage bag, combine the chicken, buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of thyme.
• Turn and coat the chicken well.
• In another plastic storage bag, combine the 3 tablespoons of flour and the cornmeal.
• Add the chicken and coat completely.
• Season generously with salt and pepper.
• In a medium,heavy skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and brown.
• Transfer bacon to paper towels, leaving drippings in the skillet.
• Add chicken to skillet and cook until brown on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
• Transfer chicken to plates and keep warm.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 teaspoons flour, 2 teaspoons thyme, and the chicken broth.
• Add mixture to the skillet and boil until reduced to 1/3 cup, whisking now and then, about 3 minutes.
• Crumble the bacon and stir into gravy along with the green onions.
• Return to a boil and season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon gravy over chicken.
• Serve.

CHICKEN-FRIED QUAIL WITH CREAMY THYME GRAVY

Steps:

• Quail
• Preheat the oven to 200°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a brown paper bag.
• Rinse the quail and pat dry with paper towels. Combine the buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce in a shallow bowl and whisk to mix. In a separate shallow bowl or plastic bag, combine the bread crumbs, flour, salt and black pepper to taste, and cayenne and stir or shake to mix.
• Pour canola oil 1/4 inch deep in a large skillet, add the bacon drippings, if using, and place over medium-high heat until sizzling hot (see Know-how, page 100).
• Dip each quail into the buttermilk mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture to evenly coat. Place in the skillet 3 or 4 at a time, taking care not to overcrowd the skillet. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy and the interior is slightly pink. If the quail are browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly. Transfer the quail to the lined baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining quail, and pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the oil, reserving the pan drippings.
• Gravy
• Add the shallot to the same skillet and cook and stir over medium heat for about 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the shallot and cook and stir for 1 minute more, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the milk, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until the gravy is thick and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Spoon the gravy over the quail and serve warm.
• On the Side
• This chicken-fried quail is delicious with Summer Succotash (page 232), Spring Coleslaw with Fresh Herbs and Light Honey Citrus Vinaigrette (page 258), and Watercress Angel Biscuits (page 54). Or try them for breakfast over Country Ham and Hominy Hash (page 82) or with Buttermilk Waffles (page 91) in place of fried chicken.
• Chew on this: About Quail
• Southerners have long been crazy for quail, a small bird favored for eating and-perhaps especially-hunting. It was one of the few game species to flourish in the new landscape carved out by cotton farming, and the birds remain a favorite catch of hunters today.
• That was certainly true in my family, and I've been eating quail for as long as I can remember. Whenever my dad and grandfather brought them home from a hunt, Granny Foster would dust them lightly with flour and fry them in a skillet for breakfast along with pan gravy and angel biscuits. Like many Southerners, my grandfather called quail "bobwhites" for their characteristic whistle, which sounds like they are singing "bobwhite! bobwhite! bobwhite!" The meat tastes sort of like chicken, but with a lovely, nutty-sweet twang, and quail can be prepared in all the ways you'd prepare chicken-but with much shorter cooking times.
• Quail are so dainty that you will want to budget at least one, but more likely two, per person. Farmed quail can be bought from a number of online providers and usually come partially boned (see Sources, page 377).