Chili’s Chicken Crispers

Our family loves Chili’s.  Whenever we go up north, a lot of the time we go there.  And what do we get?  Of course you guessed it, chicken crispers!  I usually get their triple dipper and get 2 of the crispers and one of the southwest eggrolls… which I still need to find a recipe for!  But, we found this recipe on Meemo’s Kitchen.  I love her site!  She has a lot of secret recipes listed!  So, go there if you are craving something and would like to try and make it!
We made these for Brett’s birthday the other day, and I thought they tasted as good as the original!  And of course the honey mustard sauce is delicious too!!!  
Make sure and use the self rising flour too.  We tried this once before with regular flour, and they work… it just tastes like beer batter.  But, if you use the self rising… oh, I can’t even describe it, they are just a little more doughy I guess!  You will have to try them to find out!  Or, go to Chili’s and taste them! 
Also... we cut our smaller that strips.  Ours were more like chunks, like 1 by 2 inches or smaller.  It is just easier for the kids to eat!
And, really sorry about this one, they are really fattening!   I hope I can start finding some healthier recipes to post about, but as of right now we have just been doing what tastes good!!  So if you have some delicious healthy recipes to share, please do!!
Please forgive this picture… I forgot to take some while I was making them, so these are the leftovers!

Chili's® Chicken Crispers
Menu Description: "Strips of hand-battered chicken fried to perfection. Served with sweet corn on the cob, honey mustard dressing and homestyle fries."
Honey Mustard Dressing
2/3 Cup mayonnaise
1/4 Cup honey
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
Pinch paprika
Pinch salt
Batter:
1 egg, beaten
1/4 Cup whole milk
3/4 Cup chicken broth (Swanson)
1-1/2 Teaspoons salt
1/2 Teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Cup self-rising flour
6 to 10 cups shortening or vegetable oil (amount required by fryer)
10 chicken tenderloins
1/2 Cup flour
Honey Mustard Sauce:
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill until needed.
Heat shortening or oil in fryer to 350 degrees F.
Batter:
Combine beaten egg, milk, chicken broth, salt and pepper in a medium
bowl. Whisk to dissolve salt. Whisk in 1 cup self-rising flour. Let batter sit for 5 minutes.
Coat chicken pieces with dry flour, then dip chicken into batter. Allow excess batter to drip off, then place battered chicken into the hot oil and fry for 7 to 9 minutes or until golden brown.
Do not overload fryer. Fry 3-4 pieces at a time.
Drain fried chicken strips on paper towels.
Serve with the honey mustard dressing on the side for dipping.
Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as an entree.

My goal for this year...

I don't know about anyone else... but I get tired of the same old things for dinner.  Any one else that way?  I am always saying that I need something new, something good to help feel in the same old mundane things that I cook for dinner now.
So, my goal for this year.  I want to try something new, something different each week.  A new recipe, a new outlook on my dinner menus for the week.  Can I do it?  Good question, but I am going to try!
Now, I know I am starting this a little late in the year... but I did do something new last week, it just isn't worth posting about.  It definitely isn't a keeper on my menu list!
But, this weeks.... amazing!  Delicious! Wonderful!  Sinful!  Okay, maybe I exaggerate a little bit, but not by much!
Have you ever been to Olive Garden?  I love, love, love Olive Garden... yes, I am country girl, I will fully admit to that.  But, I digress!  I always get the chicken alfredo, or just the alfredo... but I also love just their soup and salad.  And, of course the breadsticks... more on those another week.  The soup I usually get is the zuppa... but recently I tried the Chicken Gnocchi... and I loved it!  This week I was craving that soup, so, I looked it up.  And up came this recipe that said it was even better than the Olive Garden.  Well... it had a quite a few ratings, and they were all 4 or 5 star recipes.  I decided to try it!  And, we loved it!  Hence, the  Amazing, delicious, etc...!
So, here is the recipe or this wonderful soup!  If you are looking for a wonderful creamy soup, you gotta try it!  Oh... to give credit where credit is due, I got this recipe off of Recipezaar and it was submitted by Anne G.

Olive Garden Style Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Serves 8-10(it really does)
35 min/10 minute prep
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups half-and-half (I used Heavy Whipping Cream to make it a little thicker)
1 stalk celery ( I didn't have any celery, and it was still delicious without it!)
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 carrot, shredded
1/2 onion, diced ( I just used onion powder... we aren't big fans of onions)
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped (I used frozen, and only half a cup... half a cup is plenty unless you really love spinach)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme ( I only used half a teaspoon, and that was enough too, just depends on what you like)
salt and pepper to taste
16 ounces potato gnocchi
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional.... I didn't have cornstarch either... geez I need to get to the store.  But, I used 2 tablespoons of flour)

Directions:
1. Saute the onion, celery, garlic, and carrot in oil over medium heat until onion is translucent. (I just used my pot so that I didn't dirty more dishes).
2. Add chicken, chicken stock, half and half, salt and pepper, and thyme.  Heat to boiling, then add gnocchi.  Gently boil for 4 minutes, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.
4. (Heat to boiling and add cornstarch dissolved in 1-2 tablespoons of water at this point if you want a thicker soup).
5. Ladle into bowls and serve! (We also topped it with a little parmesan cheese... your choice)

So... I completely know that this isn't the most healthy meal in the world, but who cares!  Every once in a while isn't going to hurt anyone!  And, of course... it was delicious!

Let me know what you think if you try it out!  Or, if you have any great and wonderful dishes that you want me to try out... please send them to me!  I really hope to expand my cookbook this year with some great recipes!