Recipe #3

Very southern and a pretty successful invention. My dad insisted on the more vulgar term of 'chicken nuggets' but these little things are far from the cholesterol-battered bits you find in the frozen section of the grocery store. Ok, fine. I won't take creds for how good the cornmeal was since we were out of flour. The combination isn't exactly classic but as a novelty, it's soon to become one. A more mainstream aioli would consist of a mayo base with garlic, but I added avocado because that's just what I do: put avocados in everything. Lemon or lime as an acid instead of vinegar acted well to combat the spicier bite of the dijon mustard.

Crispy Mustard Chicken with Avocado Aioli 

- 1 lb diced chicken breast

- 1/2 c whole milk yogurt

- 5 Tbs dijon mustard

- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

- salt/pepper to taste

- hot sauce to taste

- 2 limes 

- about 2 c cornmeal

- chili powder

After the chicken is washed, add in the yogurt, mustard, garlic, salt/pepper, hot sauce, and juice from the limes. Let the mixture marinate in the fridge for about 2 hours, or until most of the yogurt is absorbed into the chicken. Then, mix salt and chili powder to taste into the cornmeal and bread the diced chicken until it's nicely coated. In a pan, add oil (just covering the surface, panfrying is different from deep frying!). When the oil heats up, add in the chicken, turning halfway until it becomes firm and gets a good crust. Drain on a paper towel and serve with the aioli (recipe below). 

- 3-4 Tbs mayo

- 2 limes

- 1/2 avocado

Juice the limes and add to the mayo, mixing until fully incorporated. The result should be smooth, not lumpy, and a little on the the thinner side. Mash the avocados until very smooth and add in to the mayo. Mix until smooth.

(Serves 5)