“…and it will taste just like fried chicken.” don’t those sound like famous last words? well they were and they were the prelude to what i’m sure was my worst cooking moment ever…

let me start by saying i rarely cook fried chicken. my hubby made it clear to me, very early in our marriage, that his mother makes the BEST fried chicken. that didn’t hurt my feelings or anything… her fried chicken is very good. but i did make up my mind that i wouldn’t try to compete with greatness. every now and then, however, i’ll get delusional and think it’s not that hard (this usually occurs after watching her make it )and attempt to pull it off. but mine never quite measures up to hers. so instead i opt for the no-fail, BK, baked chicken wings, a technique i learned from my hubby. these are super easy and nutritious and i’m totally good with them.

now, fast forward to my conversation with my nutritionist. i’ve been working with her to not only get myself together, but also to get my family off of the Standard American Diet (which is just plain SAD). she tells me that if i coat my organic, free-range chicken wings in coconut flour and “fry” them in coconut oil, they “will taste just like fried chicken.” please excuse me while I get a little cheeky: i don’t know dr. h’s background, in terms of where she was raised, but i’m pretty sure she’s not southern and for the purpose of you really getting this, i must also mention that she’s not a “sistah.” now, that may not be of critical importance if she was southern (i’m sure paula deen can throw down on some “momma’s fried chicken”), but i already said she’s not southern. y’all, fried chicken is a soulful dish, and, i’m sorry, everybody can’t do it justice. add to that dr. h is thin, and academy award-winning comedienne, Mo’Nique, plainly told us that “skinny cooks can’t be trusted” in her book by the same name.

nevertheless i took dr. h’s advice and made this “fried chicken” and sadly (especially given the amount of time it took to prepare) it was awful. it was soggy and the coconut flavor was pervasive. to add further insult to injury, my daughter and I decided to take on steamed artichokes,which we have never done before. and they weren’t good either… ugh!

thankfully my daughter, who’s such a smarty, had some forethought and made some stir-fried veggies too. so that’s what we ate! double-thankfully, my hubby was on the road and didn’t witness this dinnertime fiasco!

so, what’s the takeaway? i’m going to continue with this lifestyle change for myself and my family. in doing such, not only can we live without fried chicken, but we can definitely do without the wannabe fried chicken. and when my hubby gets to the point where he’s just gotta have some fried chicken…his momma can make it.