Family Recipe

In my family, we have a few cherished recipes. Arguably, none of them are as popular as Filet of Chicken. Fillet of chicken is like chicken McNuggets but ten times better. Making it is a lengthy process and it helps to have a few people involved. You take boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders, cut them into small pieces, soak them in egg, then roll them in bread crumbs and then flour, and finally fry them. Oh my goodness, they are so good. We eat them and eat them and eat them, and if there happen to be any left over, we eat them cold the next day.

I have helped with the Filet of Chicken prep before, assisting with the breading process, but I have never fried the chicken, and I have never tried to make it all by myself.

Until today.

I am happy to report that all went smoothly. I didn't burn myself or set off the smoke alarm. The first batch turned out dark because the oil was too hot, but they were still edible. I think I got a little better with each batch. I still pulled apart every piece to make sure they were thoroughly cooked. One package of tenders made about 40 pieces of Filet of Chicken!

Making it and eating it by myself wasn't the same as sitting around with the family, talking and laughing and and stuffing ourselves with chicken and other tasty food. But the feeling of accomplishment, trying and succeeding in a desired activity, comes with its own feeling of delight and purpose. And as my fingers were sticky with egg, bread crumbs, and flour, waves of nostalgia washed over me, as I remembered helping to make Filet of Chicken many times before.

librarianintx