My Best Baked Herb Crumb Chicken

I have to admit that taking a picture of chicken legs was probably one of the most difficult things that I have ever photographed. No way does the picture do these drumsticks justice! 

That said, keep an open mind here. 

Whether it's with summer barbeques and picnics or when a cold winter day dictates having comfort food, this recipe is one of my favorites. Chicken is always the star for me. I am a self-professed "chick-a-holic".

And when I think of baked chicken,  this is my favorite recipe from over the years. Nutty, yummy, low carb baked chicken breading that is crunchy, savory...with an herb-packed punch!

Adapted GF from Nancy W. in Banning, Ca, and her 1980’s recipe. Based on an herb-crusted baked chicken served at Whole Earth Restaurant in Santa Cruz, Ca.

3 pounds of chicken thighs or drumsticks

¾ cup of buttermilk or ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon tossed with ¼ cup olive oil

1 T. salt

1 cup almond meal*

1 cup GF bread crumbs**

½ cup organic corn meal

½ cup Parmesan, grated

1 T. smoked paprika, 1 t. garlic powder, 1 t. onion powder, ½ t. sea salt (optional), 2 t. dried thyme, 2 t. dried rosemary,

Soak chicken pieces in the buttermilk-salt or lemon-olive oil-salt mixture for several hours or over night. Toss the crumb coating ingredients and spices together and refrigerate until ready to prepare chicken.

Preheat oven to 325˚F. When ready to bake, pull the chicken from the liquid marinade, and dip chicken into the crumb mixture and coat well. Bake on an oiled cookie sheet for an hour or until meat near the bone is no longer pink.

Makes: 4-6 servings.

Notes: *Ground almond meal is available and inexpensive at Trader Joe’s markets. **Make your bread baking “rejects” into crumbs and place in the freezer and save for breading for dishes like this.

This recipe is from my cookbook: "The Farmer's Daughter Cooks Gluten Free."

To watch a slide show "tour" of the cookbook, click this link:

Youtube slide show "tour" of book here:

 

Sugar Free, Gluten Free Chocolate Trifle

This is a very tasty and satisfying trifle...and the stunner is that it is gluten free and sugar free!

If sugar is not an issue for you, use regular chocolate ice cream topping instead of sugar free. The malitol is sugar free-gluten free, but can cause an upset stomach in many people. The use of Greek yogurt folded into the whipping cream (optional) helps to reduce the lactose sugar in the dish. The bean cake is a much lower carb option, and the whipped cream and yogurt are sweetened with stevia.

1 recipe sugar free chocolate bean cake  
http://glutenfreefoodieheaven.blogspot.com/2010/06/flourless-low-sugar-chocolate-bean-cake.html (from this blog), baked, cooled, and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 cup toasted almond slivers, reserving a small amount for garnish

2-12 ounce jars Smucker’s sugar free hot fudge sauce or regular hot fudge sauce (this is the quick version!) OR prepared chocolate pudding from a mix

1 pint whipping cream, whipped

1 cup zero fat or low fat plain Greek yogurt (optional)

French vanilla stevia or regular stevia for sweetening the cream/yogurt.

Garnish: toasted almond slivers, ½ cup drained maraschino cherries, chopped, and bittersweet chocolate shavings.

Bake the cake and place ½ of the cake cubes in the bottom of the trifle dish. Cover with 1 jar of the hot fudge sauce (or 1/2 of the pudding if using), ½ the toasted almonds, ½ the maraschino cherries, and the whipped cream folded together with the yogurt. Repeat another layer with the bean cake and the other ingredients, finishing with the cream-yogurt mixture and garnishes.

Allow to set up for at least 4 hours before serving.

Makes: 15-20 servings.

For recipes from my cookbook: "Delicious! The Very Best of Gluten Free and Wheat Free Cooking. It is available at:   

http://www.celiacdiseaseinfo.org