Justin-Flavored: Sun Chip Chicken!

As I mentioned in the edit to yesterday's post, it was way too late to cook the slow cooker chicken parmesan last night. The other downside that I noticed when I started making stuff last night? I didn't have enough banana for both breads.

So, I settled for one of my favorite creations, Sun Chip Chicken. And to go with it, I made the banana bread recipe that I found, and despite my usual failure at baking... it turned out great! Maybe not quite as strongly banana-flavored as I'd hoped for, but still, it was a very satisfying dinner.

After I came up with the idea of Sun Chip Chicken, I googled it to find out that I wasn't the first person to think of it -- not surprising, since it's so easy, but I'm still calling it my own. I typically mix in some seasonings with it before putting it all over the chicken, and I'm happy to share my version of it with you!

Sun Chip Chicken - French Onion

French Onion Sun Chips

Chicken breasts

Egg whites

Oregano

Garlic powder

As usual, I'm leaving the amounts off, for two reasons. The first is that it depends on how much you're cooking, and the second is that the last two are purely to your own taste. I usually make a half-dozen medium-sized chicken breasts -- get a 2.5 or 3 pound package from your local grocery store or butcher's shop, and that should be enough. With the chips, I'd say two of the regular size bags should be good, but get a third just in case your chicken breasts are on the bigger side. I made four big chicken breasts when I made this last night; half of one of the breasts was enough to satisfy my appetite.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites -- an easy enough trick to learn. Basically just break the egg shell near the center and slide the yolk back and forth between the shell halves until the whites are in a small bowl. Beat the two eggs together, and then get to crushing up your Sun Chip mixture in a big plastic bag.

Roll each chicken breast around in the egg until it's coated, and then plop them individually in the bag with the Sun Chip mixture. Shake it around until it's mostly coated in the mixture, and don't be afraid to stick your hand in there to help coat it if that's not getting the job done for you. Then set them, slightly touching but not smashed together, into a lightly-greased glass baking pan.

Bake the breasts at 400°F for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the breasts is at least 165°F as measured by a meat thermometer in the center. I usually let them cook for about five or ten minutes after they reach that temperature (which is food-service standard temperature for how high hot chicken has to be maintained at), and they come out very very juicy.

They make great wraps, or they're great with potatoes, as the first picture shows me having them last night. I had half of one for a "leftover lunch" today, in a multigrain tortilla with horseradish mustard. In a word, wonderful. Just slice it up and microwave it, then make a wrap with whatever sounds good. The Sun Chip crumbs maintain some of their crunch from having been baked, and it has a palette-pleasing texture and taste when thrown together like that.

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On a non-food-related note, I had something interesting happen this morning -- I woke up to see a post on someone else's blog. A post about me! It's a well-written review from someone else in the Olympia area, and while they point out a few well-deserved criticisms and a few pages that needed work, I get a few compliments, too!

Seeing someone that I don't know mention me in a semi-positive light (including that I "can be a wonderfully interesting writer") is a nice way to wake up, and gave me a bit of that necessary OOMPH to get some of the shit done, like making significant updates to the Project: SAMSON page. So, go check it out! I look forward to what you have to say!

Awesome text of awesomeness, or: Why I’m in a great mood

For years now, I’ve been a fan of Terry Brooks’ writing, starting with The Sword of Shannara, which I read… way back when I was still in the single-digit ages, I think. If I had to say for sure, I’d say probably around age eight or nine.

 

Quite a few months ago, my awesome friend Crystal notified me of a book signing that Brooks was having in Seattle, at the UW bookstore. To further emphasize her awesomeness, I should mention that I live in a small town a few hours away from Seattle, and she also worked out a ride for me with her mother, who was coming up for the signing, too.

 

We had to wait for Crystal to get off work, so we were a tiiiiiny bit late to the signing. When we got there and found some seating, Brooks was reading from his most recent book, before launching in to a Q-and-A session. I was lucky, and one of the last people who was able to ask a question. I don’t remember right off the top of my head what my question was, only what it involved: a staff that has appeared in one series in a major way, and in another series in a much more diminished capacity in the primary series. Fans will know that both series are, as of the last few years, connected and part of the same overall story, hence my curiosity about the staff.

 

Now, we can fast-forward to the other night at work. I was having a pretty rotten day on Thursday, having gone to court as support for my mother, in regards to my stepdad’s estate (loooong story there). That had taken all day, and was very emotionally-stressing, so I didn’t even get to sleep before work. I was in a foul mood, and then I got this text:

“Omg new book on the 24th :) and signing at the U bookstore and the title is about the staff that you asked about!!!”

To say that I had a jaw-drop reaction would be an understatement. I’m not entirely sure that my jaw didn’t travel all the way to the core of the damn planet. The answer that I’d gotten on the staff question was sort of a non-answer, and if I remember right, Mr. Brooks almost acted like he hadn’t even realized the connection. With this title now known to me, I figure that he was just not wanting to say too much.

 

Regardless, I’d like to live in my own fantasy world where my question caused Mr. Brooks to consider devoting more thought to the staff, while I eagerly await the 24th, so that I can read Bearers of the Black Staff that I had a hand in naming – nay, that I had a hand in creating*. (Not really, but hey, that’s why it’s my fantasy world.)