memories of Bubby’s Chicken

In grade 8, when I made friends with the new girl at school, I discovered a culinary sensation.

Every Friday after school my BF Bonnie and I would race to her house and wait in her kitchen for the delivery. Her grandfather Jimmy would pull up in the four-door sedan to drop off the food that Bubby Katy and her sister-in-law Rosie had spent all day cooking and baking. Jimmy would shlep boxes from the car filled with still-hot home-cooked food from the old country covered in tinfoil for Friday night dinner. The women had cooked the meal and it was the same every week: chicken soup, goulash, chicken paprikash, Bubby’s chicken (breaded chicken strips) and Rosie’s squares (a dessert made from ground almonds and chocolate, referred to by those in the know as simply “Rosie’s”—to this day, I dream of Rosie’s). It was his greatest joy to drop off this food for his children and grandchildren (and his granddaughter’s bestie).

Bubby’s Chicken was everything: tender on the inside, crunchy on the outside, flattened and crispy-coated strips of chicken that had been cooked in a vat of oil and then patted dry with paper towel. I will never taste a chicken finger like that again.

Though I try.

In university, Bonnie and I made many attempts to replicate Bubby Katy’s chicken.

This is my healthier, gluten-free version of the dish. Every time I make it, I think of Bubby Katy and her Hungarian posse, may they all rest in peace.

It’s all about the FEB: Flour. Eggs. Bread crumbs. In that order. And, of course, the love.

My Memories of Bubby’s Chicken has the same pounded chicken breasts (only they’re organic now) and the same acronym (FEB), but the flour and bread crumbs are gluten free. I experimented with store-bought bread crumbs and I tried making my own from gluten-free toast, but neither did the trick for me. And then I decided to throw some cornflakes in the Cuisinart. Nature’s Path Honey’d Corn Flakes, to be specific. Boom. I don’t really have any measurements for this recipe because the amount of flour, eggs and cereal crumbs depends on how many chicken breasts I’m using so I just wing it.

Step 1: Dredge the chicken strips in gluten-free flour.

Step 2: Dip them in the beaten eggs.

Step 3: Coat the strips with gluten-free bread crumbs (or in this case cereal crumbs).

These Honey’d Corn Flakes have the perfect crunch and add a touch of sweetness.

Chicken fingers in the raw. Before the dipping begins, the chicken is seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Fry the chicken strips lightly on each side in an oil that can stand up well to the heat (I use grapeseed), pat them dry in paper towel like Bubby Katy used to do, and then bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.