Yesterday was the anniversary of when Husband proposed to me.
You’ll note that had he waited a week, he could have proposed to me on Valentine’s Day. The fact that he did not worked to his advantage.
I like to think he knew that had he waited until Valentine’s Day to propose, I would have rolled my eyes and said, “Really? So this is how it’s going to be?”
Anyway, I bring this up now because about a week ago, I had the oddest dream where Husband said he wanted a divorce because I overcooked the chicken.
To that I replied, “But you don’t even like chicken!”
And he said, “I know! That’s what makes this so hard!”
Now honestly, you’d think after 33 years of being together, a guy would show more flexibility in matters such as these.
But nope. Not Dream Husband. He was being a real putz.
The dream continued, as these things often do, into the division of our property.
He said I could have the car, which sounds pretty generous, right? Except I knew it was really low in gas.
So… yeah.
Then he said I could have the house too, but I said, “Oh no, you don’t! You’re not sticking me with the house!”
(On account of the backyard needs weeding, and I really hate weeding.)
In the end, I got the houseplants, Dog, and the empty gas tank. Husband got the T.V., motorcycle, and weeds.
Now the thing about the dream was that it was so darn real. You know the kind of dream I’m talking about? The kind where you wake up and think, did that just happen? Am I divorced now? Dang. I should fill up the car.
Well, I checked and sure enough, Husband was still next to me and looked reasonably content to stay there. I figured all was well.
Only in the very next instant, I realized we were having chicken for dinner. I mean, holy cow! What are the odds?
I know I could have changed plans, but the chicken was already defrosted. And there’s only so long you can put off defrosted chicken.
Talk about having a lot riding on a meal!
Spoiler alert:
The chicken turned out fine, and we’re still married.
One more thing:
I’d like to point out that when I told Husband about my dream, he assured me he’d never leave me on account of overcooked chicken.
“Now steak, on the other hand… ”
Good to know the man has standards.
Oven Fried Chicken
There’s only one way Husband likes chicken, and that’s fried. However I prefer it roasted. This recipe is proof of how compromise works in a marriage. It’s a combination of both options, and we both like it. Plus, it’s a bit healthier than fried chicken, and far less messy.
Ingredients
- 1 cut up chicken (bone-in)*
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt**
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Set oven to 425 degrees. Put oil and butter in 13×9-inch baking pan and set in oven as it preheats.
Beat egg in a small bowl, on a plate mix together flour and seasonings. Dip chicken pieces in egg and dredge in flour mixture until coated.
Place chicken in heated pan and return to oven. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn chicken and cook for 20 to 30 minutes longer, until largest pieces are done.
*You don’t have to buy a whole chicken; you can just buy the pieces you prefer. For instance, my family prefers drumsticks and wings because we’re heathens. Perhaps you prefer breasts, as orthodox people do. Good for you.
**If you start with frozen chicken, or even if you don’t, I highly recommend putting the chicken in a brine bath the morning you plan on cooking it: In a bowl, put about 2 Tablespoons kosher salt and enough water to cover the chicken and set it in the fridge. Not only will it defrost the chicken, it seasons it perfectly. If you use this method, skip the salt in the flour mixture.
Feeding on Folly 
I’m not crazy about cooking, but I do love your little stories that lead up to the recipe 😀
Thanks! We strive for diverse menu options here at FoF. 😉
Interesting combination – willing to forgive, but has some standards.
Indeed. He’s a man of refined taste, and he takes his beef seriously.
To that I replied, “But you don’t even like chicken!”
And he said, “I know! That’s what makes this so hard!”
I could just imagine that line on a comedy show, it made me laugh that much.
I thought that chicken bones were meant to be the portent of future omens, but I never knew what power overcooked chicken held!
Now that you mention it, often my dreams are like shows or plays, and I’m an observer. This particular one I was definitely part of it, but I’ve had others where if it gets boring or I don’t like the direction it’s going, I’m able to change it. (It was something I worked hard at when I was a teenager plagued with recurring nightmares.)
I realize this has nothing to do with your comment. Just tossing out a bone. 😉
Ooh, I can do the same! Although people often look at me as though I’ve been imbibing from the crack pipe when I tell them this.
Just tossing out a bone…ah, I see what you’ve done there…:)
apparently the leading cause of divorce in Arizona is not money, sex or infidelity, it’s chicken and all i can say is it’s a damn good thing you didn’t burn the toast
I’m always amazed where my dreams lead me. I can see how people go nuts with dream analysis, wanting to find meaning for them. Given the wackiness of most of my dreams, I’d be afraid if they meant something!
Glad I’m not the only one who has weird dreams.
Not sure how I missed your comment!
My dreams can be real lulus, of nearly Biblical proportions. I’d write posts of them more often, but I’m afraid someone might have me committed. 😳
🙂 Yeah, that happens to me too missing the comments and the lulu dreams). Somehow trying to convey the weirdness of dreams when you are awake just doesn’t really work well 0 but we know how strange they are!
We may be snowed in tomorrow and I think I’ll try your recipe. Charley made American Chop Suey tonight. He says you must add the ingredients in steps. I made it once and just threw everything into the pan at once. It was the last time I was allowed to cook this particular meal. Now if I can figure out how to mess up everything I make, he may take over all the cooking around here. No divorce in the future, so far, though.
Sorry for the late reply, for some reason I missed your comment.
Hope the chicken worked out for you, if you had a chance to make it! Though if it didn’t, hoped it helped you in your devious plot! 😉
C.J, Yes, It did work out fine and I also made a strew. We’re getting another snow storm tomorrow, so we made plenty to insure lots of leftovers! Charley thinks he can improve on the chicken recipe and I’m thinking this could turn out very well, indeed! Heh Heh Heh! (That’s my evil, devious laugh.) Thanks and stay warm. Clare
OK. this is pretty good. This means my husband will probably not divorce me over the floating house problem I had last night (in my dream). Additionally, I think he would quite like your oven fried chicken. What a novel idea! We do have ovens in Australia, and chicken surprisingly. We don’t always eat our koalas and emus. I think the salt bath is a fab idea, I’m a bit suspicious about the Kosher Salt though. So this salt would not do for rubbing into Pork? is it a bit sensitive about the whole European Union thing? Like…I only have ordinary salt. It has no sensitive religious beliefs. Would that do?
Lol. Love your post. Maybe you’d like a look at mine. Onyajay.
You raise some important issues. Rubbing kosher salt into pork might be heresy. I’ll have to check on that. As for using table salt, all the instructions I find on brining either use kosher salt or sea salt. My guess is it’s the salt-snob’s fault, and the good old agnostic salt shaker is just fine. But don’t blame me if the salt police knock on your door. Just saying.
On the subject of dreams, I once got so angry at my husband for something he did in a dream, I woke up angry and had to wake him to tell him so. Marriage survives the oddest stressors…even cooking him an inadvertent recipe for ‘Glass Chicken’ which ended in us order pizza instead.
Spoiler: don’t add cool water to a very hot glass dish or you’ll make the same mistake I did.
Oh, I’ve done both — angry at husband over a dream AND poured cold water in hot glass. (It makes a great sound effect, doesn’t it?)
The thing about the dream is that I genuinely expected an apology from him, but he didn’t see it that way. Honestly! MEN!