I asked a friend who went to Ole Miss what they eat at their tailgates, and she gave me a list of complete deliciousness! But then she said that it may sound odd, but they also eat lots of "chicken on a stick." This made me want to jump up and down with excitement because when she said that, I knew that would be the perfect representation of an Ole Miss tailgate food item! Being a Mississippi girl myself and attending Delta State University, I know a thing or two about a gas station chicken on a stick. In the Delta, we ran through chickens on a stick like they were a food group! So with that being said, here's a little taste of Mississippi for you!
Grocery list (6-8 sticks):
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 (16 oz) jar dill pickle chips
Kosher salt
Pepper
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Vegetable oil - for frying
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp corn starch
3/4 cup beer
3/4 cup soda water
1 tsp honey
Directions:
1. Cut chicken into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Alternately thread chicken and pickles onto skewers. You should have about 5-6 pieces of chicken and 5-10 pickles on each skewer. Salt and pepper the chicken on all sides. Add threaded skewers to a long, shallow bowl and cover in the buttermilk. Cover and put in the fridge for at least one hour.
2. Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil to 375 degrees in a dutch oven or cast iron large enough to fit the skewers. In a wide, shallow bowl add 1 cup of the flour. In another wide, shallow bowl whisk together 1 cup of the flour, corn starch, beer, soda water, and honey until smooth.
3. Working one at a time, take each skewer out of the buttermilk and let the majority of the liquid drip off, dip the skewer into the flour lightly coating the chicken and pickles, then dredge into the batter coating the chicken and pickles. Fry the skewers in the hot oil for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden. Fry up to three skewers at a time but no more - overcrowding will cause the oil temperature to go down.
4. Drain the fried skewers on a baking sheet covered in paper towels. As soon as they come out of the oil, sprinkle with kosher salt.
CHEERS TO FOOTBALL SEASON!