By The week after the award. The crystal is on the kitchen counter, next to the recipe box and the skillet and the book. Four objects: a skillet, a box, a book, and a prize. The skillet is Mama's. The box is Earl's. The book is mine. The prize is the community's. Together they tell the whole story of this kitchen and this life and this woman who is still standing here at sixty-six, still cooking, still typing, still feeding.
Mrs. Crawford came over this week — first time she's been inside my house in months (she usually gets porch deliveries). She's walking better — slow, with her cane, but steadier than after the fall. She sat at my kitchen table and she looked around — at the photos on the wall (Willie James, Earl, the Sapelo tree), at the skillet on the stove, at the award on the counter — and she said, "Dorothy, you've built a museum." I said, "It's a kitchen, Mrs. Crawford." She said, "Same thing."
She's right. A kitchen IS a museum. Every tool has a history. Every recipe card is an artifact. Every stain on the counter is evidence of a meal that was made and served and eaten and remembered or forgotten. The kitchen is where the past lives, not in glass cases but in daily use. The skillet doesn't sit on a shelf. It cooks. That's how you preserve a tradition — not by protecting it, but by using it.
Made fried chicken for Mrs. Crawford. Buttermilk soak, seasoned flour, cast iron skillet. She ate two pieces at my table and said, "This is the best fried chicken I've ever had." I said, "Mrs. Crawford, you say that every time." She said, "Because it's true every time." She's eighty-seven. She has earned the right to repeat herself. And I have earned the right to believe her.
Now go on and feed somebody.
Mrs. Crawford asked me to write it down before she left — said she’d been thinking about that chicken all the way home. So here it is: my take on a crispy, golden chicken salad built on the same buttermilk-and-seasoned-flour foundation I’ve been using for years, dressed up just enough to feel like a proper occasion. If your kitchen is a museum too, this is the kind of recipe that deserves a permanent place in the collection.
Copycat Chick-fil-A Chicken Salad
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. Place chicken pieces in a bowl and pour buttermilk over them. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours for best results.
- Season the flour. In a shallow dish, whisk together flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika until evenly combined.
- Dredge the chicken. Remove chicken from the buttermilk, letting excess drip off. Dredge each piece thoroughly in the seasoned flour, pressing gently to adhere.
- Fry until golden. Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Fry chicken pieces in batches for 3—4 minutes per side until deep golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Make the dressing. In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, pickle relish, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and sugar until smooth.
- Combine and chill. Once chicken has cooled slightly, chop into smaller pieces if desired. Fold chicken and chopped hard-boiled eggs into the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Serve. Spoon onto toasted bread, crackers, or butter lettuce leaves. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 480 | Protein: 36g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 740mg