cheat day honey pecan fried chicken

Okay so the actual recipe is called “Keep Yo Man” or in another article, “Man Catching” Honey Pecan Fried Chicken but…I saw this in a Southern Living magazine in a waiting room and last week I decided to look it up and try it! You may have seen it on my Instagram (follow me!). OMG, I am in love! No calorie count here-I refuse! This is an indulgence and an ah-mazing one at that! But hey! At least it has lots of proteinThe recipe is below-the only thing I changed was that I used milk instead of buttermilk, used boneless, skinless breast fillets and also I toasted the pecans before putting them in the sauce! This would be a great dish to adapt to chicken and waffles-that sauce could definitely substitute for syrup!

• 4 1/2 pounds chicken pieces (breast, drumsticks, and thighs-I used boneless, skinless breast fillets)
• 2 cups buttermilk (I used regular)
• 1 large egg
• Vegetable oil
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup plus 2 1/2 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (I toasted mine til they were fragrant)

Preparation

1. Place chicken pieces in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Whisk together buttermilk and egg until blended; pour over chicken. Cover and chill 1 to 8 hours, turning chicken after 30 minutes. Pour vegetable oil to depth of 1 1/2 inches into a cast-iron Dutch oven; heat over medium heat to 340°. Whisk together flour, salt, ground red pepper, garlic powder, and ground black pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Fry chicken, in 2 batches, in hot oil 20 to 22 minutes or until done, turning occasionally. Drain on a wire rack over paper towels. Place on a wire rack in a jelly-roll pan, and keep warm in a 200° oven. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; whisk in honey until blended. Stir in pecans; bring mixture to a boil, whisking often. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Drizzle over chicken, and serve immediately. (link HERE)