kansas city sue's slow cooker chicken & oven fried okra

okra was the mystery item in last week's co-op basket.  honestly, i'd never heard of, seen or consumed okra in my life (that i know of).  my mom and i stood there over the little brown bag peering in wondering what on earth its contents were.  she assumed a pepper of sorts.  i had no idea.

what i learned:  okra is a southern comfort food.  deep fried after it's dredged in cornmeal is the preferred preparation method.  obviously, deep frying is not my thing so i tried to be creative. 

the result: oven fried okra was the closest option to the real deal as my recipe searches turned up one deep fried variation after another. 

it was good.  not my favorite by any means but, if i end up with okra again, i'll for sure eat it.  really, i think it would be just as good sautéed or roasted.  i don't think the extra ingredients were necessary.  the taste of the okra alone was decent without the buttermilk, eggs, cornmeal and oil.

the chicken, however, was a slam dunk, delicious main course.  a recipe for the keeping and repeating.  

kansas city sue's slow cooker chicken

recipe source: mels kitchen cafe
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil (i used olive oil)

1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon soy sauce (i used light tamari)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup low-sodium beef broth (i used "unsalted" beef stock)

In a large skillet, heat the butter/olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook them for 1-2 minutes on each side, until nicely browned but not cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken to the slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine all the other ingredients. Whisk well. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with rice or noodles.

i took the chicken breasts out of the pot after about 6 hours and shredded them into bite sized pieces, turned the pot to warm and threw the chicken back in.  i liked the "sauciness," especially over the brown rice.  nutritional value as prepared by ME :) for 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts kansas city sue's slow cooker chicken Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 260 Total Fat 7g       Saturated Fat 1.5g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 85mg Sodium 310mg Carbohydrate 16.5g       Dietary Fiber 0.4g       Sugars 15.2g Protein 31.5g Vitamin A 1%  Vitamin C 2% Calcium    2% Iron 6%

oven fried okra

adapted from various sources

okra (seemed like 2 cups once it was chopped into bite-sized pieces)

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

soak the okra in the liquid mixture for about 5 minutes

dredge in seasoned cornmeal, toss with olive oil, spread on sprayed baking sheet,  and bake for 40-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

before

after