Lights. Camera. Chicken Bites...

Sometimes life has the most unexpected moments.  A moment when you just stop and say, “hang on….let me take this in a second.”  This moment happened to me last week as I prepared to be on live television for the first time.  The hustle and bustle was surprising, we received all kinds of instructions about what would happen.  “Ok, I am ready. Got this.  Whew, is it hot in here? I am sweating!” 

My cousin and queen of all things jelly was with me to help me prepare so we worked busily beginning the dishes we had rehearsed so many times.  Everything was rocking along until I looked for a pan.  See, we were only allowed to use the pans in the studio that were specifically for their cooktop.  I rummaged for a non-stick pan.  There had to be one. Right?? I pulled out everything and took inventory, stock pot, sauce pan, sauté pan. NO NONSTICK PAN!.  Panic washed over me.  I practiced this recipe at least 20 times in the weeks past.  Getting ready for this moment.  I knew exactly what to do, that is, I knew exactly what to do with a non-stick pan.  I glanced toward the jelly queen.  “psst….no nonstick pan! I NEED it for the spicy chicken bites.”  She shook her head in sympathy and looked me squarely in the face, “Roll with it! We are live in less than 10 minutes.” 

Before I had a chance to absorb what she said t.v. personnel were sweetly buzzing around again. They were hooking us up with microphones and reminding us what camera to look toward and “Oh don’t trip because your microphone is attached to the floor.” Wait, who? ME? I’m sorry, did you say floor?  Whoosh they were gone again.  Having wisely given Janet the jelly queen the wireless mic because she needed to move around more to help me prep.  There I stood, a tangle of wire at my feet.  I glanced down and the theme from Deadliest catch lightly played in mind mind….”great! trip and overboard I go I thought!”  I hear “We are live in 1 minute”  Well, there I was.  A sweaty, nervous wreck tied to the floor with no nonstick pan!  As they say though, the show must go on and so it did. 

Running through ideas in my head I told myself to just add a little extra oil to the pan with a pat of butter and it would work.  It had to work.  So, I whispered a prayer over chicken bites and pressed on. Though not as smoothly as I had practiced at home we produced spicy chicken bites right there live in living color!  When it was all over everyone raved about the food and told us it was great.  I was relieved it was over and untied from the floor. 

​At that moment, I looked around and realized “hey, we did it!”  Just like in life sometimes you don’t have exactly what you need when you need it.  You won’t always have a nonstick pan.  You will have practiced and prepared and told yourself exactly how it would go and it won’t go that way.  In those moments, you can find your courage.  You may be lucky enough to have a jelly queen nearby to whisper “ROLL WITH IT” and if not, tell it to yourself. 

​Sometimes you gotta roll with it, say a prayer and wait for the results.  When you do, you will be able to step back and say “Whew…we did it!” 

Alabama Sunshine Chicken Bites

​2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken tenders cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 C. Alabama Sunshine hot sauce
2 C. panko bread crumbs
1/4 C grated Romano cheese 
 
 
kickin' dippin sauce:
1/2 C. Alabama Sunshine cayenne pepper wing sauce
1/2 C. ranch dressing
 
Mix buttermilk and Alabama Sunshine hot sauce in a deep sided container.  Mix panko bread crumbs and grated Romano cheese in a separate container and set aside.  Soak boneless, skinless chicken bites in buttermilk and Alabama Sunshine hot sauce mixture for 30 minutes to an hour in the refrigerator.  Remove chicken bites one at a time from buttermilk and Alabama Sunshine hot sauce mixture one at a time and dredge in panko bread crumb and Romano cheese mixture.  Place chicken bites into a sprayed pan with olive oil.  Brown on both sides turning once until Chicken bites are cooked through. Place onto a serving tray.  Mix Alabama Sunshine wing sauce with ranch dressing.  Serve alongside chicken tenders for dipping.