Quick Pickles

By 

Keep this easy recipe in your back pocket for when you want to add crunchy, zingy punch to whatever you’re serving. The flavor of the rice vinegar creates a pickle that goes particularly well with Asian dishes.

Featured in: Vegetarian Bowls Spiked With Vibrant Asian Flavors.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 small firm cucumbers, such as Kirby or Persian, peeled or scrubbed, sliced 1/8-inch thick
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

PREPARATION

  1. Slice cucumbers 1/8-inch thick using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Toss with the sugar and salt and leave in a colander to drain for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse well and drain.
  2. In a bowl, toss cucumbers with the vinegar, tasting and adding more as desired. Store in a container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

 

Cook’s Choice: Pickle wrap shortcut pleases palate

By Arlene Mannlein   –   Herald & Review

You know, having some fun while you go around in this life makes for a great afternoon.

And Saturday, I had good fun and good times with the group of women and their friends and family who got together to make tutus. Yes, of all things, tutus.

This fun group was primarily the committe members who support and organize Come Together Let’s Walk to help fight breast, cervical and ovarian cancers with fund raising. And, as far as I know, none of us who ranged in age from the young to the not-so-young is planning on any dance recital soon.

The tutus were made with tulle and ribbon or sometimes elastic in the group’s signature colors of pink and teal. They’ll be proudly worn, at least once, during the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day parade in advance of the group’s major fund raising event the last Saturday of June.

And, as is often the case when women gather to create and chat, there were snacks. A hearty fare  included popcorn, cookies decorated in the group’s colors, candy, vegetable pizza, cheese ball, and what I guess I’d describe as a cucumber tea sandwich. Only it wasn’t. The cucumber slice was the “bread,” topped with dip and tomato. Delightful. I’m asking committee members if they’d like to share any of those recipes, and if they are so kind, we’ll have them in future columns.

My offering was a version of the pickle wrap dip. Our group of family and friends has long enjoyed pickle wraps, those dill pickles wrapped in cream cheese and a meat, as an appetizer favorite. But a couple of years ago, I decided to try the dip version as a shortcut. That seemed to please as well as the original.

Here’s my version of the dip, modified to be, hopefully, just a wee bit healthier.

Pickle Wrap Dip

       ¼ pound either deli ham or deli style corned beef
  • 1 cup dill pickles or 1 cup dill pickle relish
  • ½ cup whipped cream cheese
  • 1/3 to ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup fat free sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon onion, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dry ranch dressing mix (optional)
  • Crackers, tortilla-style chips, cocktail breads or vegetables for dipping
  • Finely chopped meat of choice

Place into mixing bowl.

If using dill pickles, pat dry before dicing. If using dill pickle relish, drain on paper towels. Add pickle choice to meat and combine.

In separate, smaller bowl, combine cream cheese, yogurt and sour cream. Add onion or optional ranch mix. Combine. Stir into meat/pickle mixture.

Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

Cook’s note: 1 cup of dill pickles is measured after the pickles are chopped.

Pickles — A low-calorie, fermented friend

By Melissa Neubek   –   Eagle News

Because of pickles’ texture, smell and taste, there are two kinds of people: ones who love pickles and the others who hate them. There are several different ways one can munch on the pickled green cucumbers, but not all pickles are equally good for you. They are pretty easy to make yourself — healthier than you can find them in the store, low-calorie and, if fermented, really good for your gut.

Pickles start life as cucumbers. After spending time in a jar of water or vinegar, salt and a variety of spices, they become pickles.

One of the reasons pickles have a good reputation from a health standpoint is because they’re very low-calorie. Regardless of your lifestyle choices or diet of choice, it’s always nice to have a low-calorie snack option.

The lesser-known reason pickles are good for you is that when they’re fermented, they have live probiotics, which are good for your digestive system. Probiotics are good bacteria that naturally occur in our digestive systems and help us digest our food.

Not all pickles sold at the supermarket are fermented, but you can easily make them at home or find a brand that is fermented, for example: Bubbies. Or, you may be able to find fermented pickles at a local farmers market.

When pickles are made with vinegar, which most store-bought pickles are, the process is considered “quick pickling,” and fermentation does not occur. The quick pickling process can be done in just a few days.

If the pickles are made with water and salt, the fermentation process occurs. This process can take up to a few months.

When pickles are fermented, gut-friendly bacteria are created. According to Tufts University, these microorganisms aid further in digestion. There is evidence suggesting that the bacteria help to reduce inflammation and may help with allergies and overall body health.

It’s always important to read ingredient labels when choosing which pickles to buy. If you have a sweet tooth and like bread and butter pickles, you’ll notice that all options at the grocery store are sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup or HFCS.

According to studies done at Princeton University, subjects showed significant weight gain when consuming HFCS versus other sweeteners.

Now, if you’re interested in making your own fermented pickles, check out the following recipe from myhumblekitchen.com, and always remember, for the best results and crunchiest pickles, to use the freshest cucumbers you can find.

Ingredient

24 (or so) small 4 inch to 5 inch pickling cucumbers

6 cloves garlic, ends removed and smashed

6 bay leaves

2 1/2 tbsp pickling spice (cloves, coriander, allspice, pepper, mustard seeds)

Fresh dill

6 tbsp large granule sea salt (kosher salt)

Method

1. Properly clean 3 quart-sized mason jars.

2. Gently clean and remove flower ends from cucumbers.

3. To each quart-sized mason jar, stack the bottom with as many cucumbers as you can fit.

4. Divide the pickling spice between the jars.

5. To each jar, add 2 garlic cloves and 2 bay leaves.

6. Add a good amount of dill to each jar, then fill each jar with as many more cucumbers as you can fit. Do not allow the cucumbers to go up into the band area. Make sure there’s 1 inch headspace between the top of the jar and the lid.

7. On the stovetop, heat 1 quart of filtered water with 6 tbsp of salt until it dissolves. Once the salt dissolves into the water, remove from heat. Add 1 1/3 cups of the salt solution brine to each jar.

8. Fill the remainder of the jars with enough filtered water to cover all the ingredients.

9. Place a lid on each jar and give it a good shake to mix the water and salt brine solution. Make sure to check after shaking that all the ingredients are submerged.

10. Place the jar in a cool dark place for 2 weeks making sure to burp the jar after 7 days.

 

Oven-Fried Pickles with Homemade Ranch Dip

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

Dill Buttermilk Ranch Dip

1 tablespoon fresh baby dill

½ cup mayo

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

¼ cup milk

¼ cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

salt, to taste

Oven-Fried Pickles

1 (24 oz) jar dill pickle spears

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

½ cup Panko bread crumbs

½ cup stone-ground cornmeal

¼ cup plain bread crumbs

1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. In the bowl of your food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients for the ranch. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into a small bowl and cover. Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

2. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and spray a large baking sheet with a non-stick spray. Set aside.

3. Drain the jarred pickles and place them on a paper towel-lined plate. Pat completely dry. Set aside.

4. In one shallow bowl, add the flour. In another shallow bowl, add the eggs and whisk to combine. In a third shallow bowl, combine the panko, corn meal, regular bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Toss the ingredients until evenly distributed. You shouldn’t need any more salt, as the pickles are already extremely salty. If you need more salt, then feel free to salt away.

5. Starting with one pickle, dredge in flour, then coat in the whisked eggs, and then transfer to the bread crumb mixture. Toss the pickle to make sure it is evenly coated, pressing to adhere where it is needed. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat this step for the rest of the pickles. Spray the pickles with a non-stick canola oil spray.

6. Place the pickles in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating them halfway through. Spraying again with a non-stick canola oil spray. Make sure they are crispy before pulling them from the oven. This may take more or less time, so keep a close eye.

7. Serve immediately out of the oven with homemade dill buttermilk ranch.

A hallowed place for pickled foods to honor our past

by josie a.g. shapiro – J Weekly

My husband’s grandfathers, Benjamin and Jakob, were both called Jack. They lived in New York City, and one of them loved pickles. Like, really, really loved pickles. “The pickles were New York deli pickles that were very crunchy and mildly flavored. No dill pickles!” according to my mother-in-law. In Jack’s memory, we place pickles on our dining table at big family gatherings, including Passover, every year.

I was reminded of Jack and his pickles after a friend texted that he couldn’t attend his weekly cooking class, and would I like to go in his place? I love cooking (obviously), but I haven’t taken a technique class since I was 20. It felt great to be back in a teaching kitchen, and I walked away with a pickled tomato recipe that makes me think not only of Jack but the Jewish affection for these briny treats.

During the 19th century, as culinary historian Claudia Roden writes in “The Book of Jewish Food,” pickled vegetables, particularly preserved cucumbers, cabbages and beets, “were staples in the diet of Jews in Poland, Lithuania, the Ukraine and Russia.” Fast-forward a couple of generations and across an ocean, and you could find a variety of pickled foods rolling out of Jewish pushcarts, solidifying pickles in Jewish food lore.

This quick, modern tomato pickle is fabulous on grilled poultry and fish of any kind. This recipe would also be dandy mixed with roasted cauliflower or green beans, and thanks to a little experimentation, I can say with confidence that it’s great when scooped into the center of a grilled cheese sandwich. A San Francisco Cooking School recipe inspires the Pickled Tomatoes.

 

Pickled Tomatoes

Makes 4 cups

2 lbs. fresh tomatoes, cored and cut in a 1/2-inch dice

1 bunch green onions, cut in 1/2-inch pieces (white and pale green only)

1 jalapeño pepper, sliced thin

1 Tbs. grated ginger

5 garlic cloves, lightly smashed

2 tsp. whole black peppercorns, crushed or very coarsely ground

11/2 tsp. mustard seeds

1/2  tsp. ground turmeric

2 tsp. cumin seeds

2 tsp. paprika

¼ cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tbs. kosher salt
Place tomatoes, green onions and jalapeño pepper in a large sealable glass container. In a small bowl, measure out and mix together ginger, garlic, peppercorns, mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin and paprika. In a small-bottomed but heavy and steep-sided saucepan, heat the oil until very hot. When it just begins to smoke, add ginger-spice mixture. Stir and remove from heat, stirring until bubbling oil subsides. Pour the hot oil and spices over the tomatoes. Stir to coat. Wipe out the saucepan. Add vinegar, brown sugar and salt to saucepan. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cool 2 minutes and pour over tomatoes. Cool tomatoes to room temperature. Seal tomatoes tightly and store in fridge for up to one week.

Bacon-Wrapped Pineapple Jalapeño Poppers

  • 10 jalapeño peppers
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup, drained well
  • 1 (16-ounce) package bacon (not thick-sliced)
  • Barbecue sauce

Slice jalapeños lengthwise, then remove and discard seeds and core. Do not do this with your bare hands; use a paring knife or latex gloves.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add pineapple, and stir until thoroughly combined. Spread cream cheese mixture into jalapeño halves, leveling the top. (The mixture will expand when cooking.)

Cut fatty ends off bacon. Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with 1slice of bacon, and arrange on a large baking pan that’s been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake at 375° for 30–35 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Baste poppers with barbecue sauce, and continue baking for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

*This recipe makes enough filling for twice as many poppers. If you’re making these for a party, double up on the peppers and bacon — trust me, you can’t have too many of these! If not, refrigerate the leftover filling to use as a spread for bagels or crackers.

Sriracha Bacon Deviled Eggs

  • 12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Dash of each: garlic powder, onion powder, and white pepper
  • 3–4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Place yolks in a small mixing bowl, and arrange whites on a serving platter or plate.

Combine egg yolks, mayonnaise, sriracha, salt, and spices, then mix well with an electric mixer or the back of a fork. If filling is too thick, add more mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach desired consistency. Taste for salt and spices, and add more, if desired.

Fill each egg white half with yolk filling (if you don’t have a piping bag, this can very easily be done by using a zip-top bag with a small hole cut out of one corner). Top each egg with crumbled bacon. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Stuffed Jalapenos: A super appetizer to serve on Sunday

By DEBBIE ROGERS, Sentinel Staff Writer

CUSTAR — Searching for some hot stuff to serve during the Super Bowl?

Bonnie Weiker’s Stuffed Jalapenos are zippy but not overwhelmingly spicy. Best of all, the flavor can be adjusted to taste.

“If you take out the seeds and the membranes, it’s not really hot. You just get that jalapeno flavor,” she said.

Weiker’s been making the recipe for five years after seeing it in a flyer at a grocery store.

“But it was boring so I souped it up.”

She added sweet peppers, garlic and Parmesan cheese.

“We eat jalapenos and sweet peppers just about every meal,” Weiker said.

A tip for this dish is to bake the jalapenos in a shallow pan.

“If you don’t cook them on a cookie sheet, they don’t get crispy.”

The jalapenos are a hit, whether it’s football season, the holidays or a summer party. They’re usually served in the Weikers’ barn, which they built themselves 10 years ago. The space is insulated, heated and full of games, like darts and corn hole.

“We have a lot of get-togethers out in our barn,” Weiker said. “It’s always ready to party out there. We’ve had everything out there from my mom’s and dad’s retirement party to their 50th wedding anniversary.”

Mom and dad, John and Rita Goris, live right across the street, where Weiker grew up. She and her husband, Tom, first bought a home on Mermill Road, then moved back to her old stomping ground in Custar in 2001.

Weiker learned to cook when she was little, as did her three siblings.

“When we were growing up, they (their parents) both worked so we learned to cook young,” she said. “Our family always functioned as a team.”

She went to school at St. Louis School, where she also was married.

Weiker is a nurse for Deshler Family Practice and has worked for Dr. Carol Hicks since 1995. Tom is an electrician. Their children, Alex, 24, and Mollie, 21, live in Bowling Green. As empty-nesters, Weiker said the couple still prefer to eat in, rather than dine out.

They eat a lot of fish, and one specialty that may get served this Super Bowl Sunday is Seafood Pinwheels. Weiker will buy a prepared seafood salad and add onion, peppers and crushed red pepper flakes. Spread the mixture on a tortilla, then slice them into pinwheels.

Hands-down, her best recipe is a homemade cinnamon roll that she bakes every Christmas.

Weiker doesn’t prefer brand names for cooking, shopping a lot at Walmart and Aldi’s.

Her meats do come from the butcher shop, and most of her vegetables pop right out of her backyard.

They grow tomatoes, jalapenos and two or three different kinds of peppers. She makes her own salsa, and sauerkraut from cabbage in the garden. She also makes her own pickles and relish.

“I can can anything.”

When Weiker is shopping, she has a huge, detailed list. She only shops for groceries once every two weeks.

“When you live out in the country, you definitely plan ahead.”

If the Weikers aren’t cooking, weeding the garden or playing in the garage, they’re probably on their Harleys, riding the rural roads.

Weiker swears there’s nothing like motorcycle riding to give a rush to the senses.

“You just smell things. You go by a field that’s just been tilled. … There’s so many things you can appreciate.”

Stuffed Jalapenos

CRAB STUFFED JALAPENOS

Ingredients

8-ounce imitation crab meat

6-ounce spreadable cream cheese-softened

1⁄2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1⁄2 cup Mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons minced onions

6 mini sweet red/orange/yellow peppers chopped fine

uncooked bacon slices cut in half

fresh jalapenos

Directions

Soften cream cheese and mix all ingredients but crab meat with mixer. Chop crab meat and add to cream cheese mixture.

Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise. Remove stems and seeds. Generously stuff with crab meat mixture. Wrap 1⁄2 slice bacon around jalapeno and secure with toothpick.

Bake on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

(stuffs 12-15 jalapenos)

SAUSAGE AND CHEESE STUFFED JALAPENOS

1 pound Italian sausage

2  tablespoons Chili powder

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

6 small sweet peppers chopped finely

1⁄2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1⁄2 cup Mozzarella cheese

1⁄2 cup water

fresh jalapenos

Brown and drain sausage. Chop finely. Stir in tomato paste, water, chili powder, chopped sweet peppers and cheeses. Cook 1-2 minutes until water cooks in.

Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise. Remove membranes and seeds.

Generously stuff jalapeno halves.

Bake on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until jalapenos soften.

(stuffs 12-15 jalapenos)

 

One ingredient 5 ways: Jalapeños

Times of Oman

If you want to lend sizzle to your favourite salsa, marinade, and jellies, add jalapenos to them. Though they aren’t really very hot like chillies but this moderately hot

Pickled

Take apple cider vinegar, jalapeños, garlic, salt, bay leaves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, and sugar. Heat vinegar and water with sugar. Slice jalapeños and fill a jar. Add the other ingredients and pour hot vinegar. Refrigerate it.

pepper is sure to spice up your meals.

Roasted

Cut the jalapeno peppers in halves and remove the seeds. Place them on a baking dish with cut side down. Set the oven to broil for 15 minutes. Flip and broil for another 5-10 minute. Add them in any dishes for the chilli

flavours.

Jellied

Remove stems and seeds and blend the peppers. In a large pot boil the blended pepper. Stir in vinegar, salt and sugar and boil for 10 minutes. Add liquid fruit pectin. Pour the jelly in a canning jar and give it a water bath. Let it rest till it is fully set.

Stuffed

Cook shredded chicken sausage in medium heat and in a bowl mix cheese and the sausages. Cut the jalepanos into halves and put 1tbsp of the mixture into each. Place in baking dish and bake, uncovered, at 218 C for 15-20 minutes till brown.

Fried

Mix flour, salt, pepper, red chilli powder, garlic powder, and eggs, in a bowl. In a deep fryer, or large pot heat oil to 180 degrees C. Dip the sliced jalapenos in the batter. Place the coated jalapenos in deep fryer till they are golden brown and crispy.

Love pickles? This Ker Sangri recipe from Rajasthan is a must-try

Pickles are a hot favourite in Indian households. Try out this lip-smacking delicacy from Rajasthan.

Written by Anshu Bhatnagar   –  IndianExpress.com

There are many methods of preparing this Rajasthani delicacy, but I always prefer my Mom’s method of preparation. At my home, Ker Sangri is used as a fresh vegetable (by soaking dry veggies overnight in water) and is prepared in the same simple manner just by replacing mustard oil with vegetable oil and adding the bare minimum spices.

Here is my mom’s method of preparing the dish:

Ingredients
1/2 kg ready mixed packet of ker sangri or ½ kg sangria and 100 gm ker
7-8 dry red chillis
3-4 slit green chillis (optional)
2 tsp amchur/dry raw mango powder (you can also add dried raw mango slices)
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chilli powder (add according to taste)
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt as per your taste
500 ml water – warm method

Method
*Soak ker sangri in water overnight. Next morning, drain water 2-3 times, wash thoroughly. Spread in a colander.

*I prefer using pressure cooker or deep Dutch Oven to prepare this awesome Rajasthani delicacy. Heat oil in the pressure cooker or deep Dutch Oven.

*Add cumin seeds, asafoetida and dry red chillis, saute for a minute on medium flame.

*Add slit green chillis and ker sangri. Saute on medium-high flame for 4-5 minutes with continuous stirring. Lower the flame, add all the red chilli powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powder. Mix everything well over medium flame for about 2-3 minutes.

*Add salt and warm water. Cover and cook over medium flame for 2-3 whistles. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. If you are using a Dutch Oven, it will take more time, around half an hour.

*After opening the lid, add the amchur powder. Mix well. Cover and leave for 10 minutes (No heat required at this time).

*Traditionally, the dish is of dry consistency, but you can adjust according to your taste. Serve with puris or bajra (Millet) roti.

Firecracker Chicken with Jalapeno Honey Glaze

By: FOX4News.com Staff

Chef Sarah Penrod, a private chef and Food Network Star, will be at ZestFest this weekend at the Irving Convention Center. She stops by Good Day to make her favorite hot wings.

Marinade:

4 Chicken Thighs
2 Chicken Breasts, Butterflied
5 Chicken Legs
½ Quart of Buttermilk
½ c. Frank’s Red Hot or Buffalo Sauce
3 Large Eggs

In a large deep casserole dish or bowl blend the buttermilk, buffalo sauce, and eggs with a whisk. Place the chicken pieces in to marinate overnight or at least 6 hours.

Crispy Fried Batter:
1 pound Self- Rising Flour
1/3 c. Cornstarch
1 T Salt
2 T Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
1 t. Garlic Powder
1 T Onion Powder
½ c. Dried Parsley
2 Liters Canola or Peanut Oil

Honey Jalapeno Glaze:
3 c. Diced Tomato
3 Small Jalapenos, seeds scooped out but reserved
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/3 c. Honey
1/3 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 c. Red Wine Vinegar
2 Sprigs of Basil
1 ½ t. Kosher salt
½ t. Pepper

Dice the tomato, mince the garlic, and cut the jalapenos in half. Using a teaspoon scrap the insides of the jalapeno out reserving the seeds and ribs of one of the halves for the sauce and discarding the rest. Half of one of the jalapenos gives a nice balanced medium hot flavor. Dice the seeded jalapeno peppers.

In a small sauce pan pour in the olive oil and honey. Bring it to a boil and let this bubble for approximately 1 minute. Pour in the red wine vinegar and turn down the heat as it will bubble and gush for a moment. Add the diced tomatoes, garlic cloves, 2 sprigs of basil, diced jalapeno, salt, pepper, and the seeds and ribs of half of one jalapeno. Simmer for 15 minutes. Take the mixture off of the heat and cool for several minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend for 1 min. Season with salt and pepper and reserve for the chicken.

Directions:

Mix all of the batter ingredients in a deep casserole dish. Prepare a large platter or cookie sheet lined with foil to rest the chicken on after they are battered. Using 1 hand for pulling the chicken out of the buttermilk mixture and the other hand for coating the chicken in the seasoned flour mixture, batter each piece of chicken with a good coating of batter. Place them on the platter. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 40 minutes and up to a day ahead. (I batter them during the day for dinnertime.)

Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed enamel dutch oven or wide stock pot. Fill it with oil half to three quarters full. You want the chicken to be completely submerged when frying 2-4 pieces at a time.

Bring the temperature of the oil up to 350 degrees. After resting the chicken, take it out of the refrigerator and check to see that the flour mixture has turned from white and powdery to looking like an opaque batter is coating the chicken. Bits of white may still be seen but primarily the chicken should look coated in thick batter. This is the secret to a strong, crunchy crust that will adhere to the chicken.

When the oil has reached 350 you may begin placing the chicken into the pot, up to 4 pieces at a time. I always use a thermometer to check the temperature of the oil to make sure it’s not rising too much (over 365 degrees) or not dropping below 325 degrees as I determine when to add more chicken. This recipe cooks in 3 batches.