If you've ever perused this blog (Thots from the BToS), then you know I really enjoy cooking and only slightly less, eating what I cook. I prepare large portions; you know, make a big pot of soup instead of a small pot. Living alone, I only eat so much food and still attempt to control my calorie intake. A lot of it is wasted...I've always liked foods that most of my family, friends and co-workers didn't necessarily care for. For instance, I am a fruitcake kinda guy. I tend to forget about fruitcake during most of the year, but man when the holiday season comes around and I see the 3-pack boxes of Claxton Fruit Cake for sale, I just gotta have one (if you have a choice, buy the richer flavored Dark not the Regular).
I'm also a gizzard and liver kinda guy. Most folks that buy whole chickens packed in a bag will likely discard the liver, heart and gizzard. Not me, I'll take 'em and trim 'em out, then flour 'em and fry 'em up. That's a nice mid-morning or afternoon snack while the main course is cooking. I just love the rich, strong flavors of those parts.
About 12 years ago, the local super market actually sold chicken hearts by the pound in a sealed container. One Saturday afternoon I was deep frying some chicken hearts when my 5 year-old grandson walked into the kitchen and asked, "Whatcha cookin' grandad?" Before I knew it, I said "These are Chicken Poppems, you wanna try one?"
Being a curious kid, he said sure. He chewed it up and when he finished, he asked for another. As he was putting it into his mouth, his mother showed up at the kitchen doorway saying, "Dad, what's William eatin'?" I said, "He's having some Chicken Poppems." She said, "C'mon dad, what's he eatin'?" I told her they were chicken hearts. She said, "William don't you be eating that stuff, and dad don't you be giving him any more!!!"
So that's my story of Chicken Poppems. Since that time, I continue to prepare Chicken Poppems when I have an opportunity to find chicken hearts for sale at the store. I've refined my Chicken Poppem recipe and today it's like this:
Soak chicken hearts in Frank's Red Hot Sauce
Shake 'em in a bag of flour
Set 'em out on a paper towel to dry a bit
Deep fry until crispy; then salt 'em.
In addition to adding a good flavor and a bit of bite to the food, evidently, the Frank's sauce has some sweetener in it as it causes the flour to provide a nice, crunchy crust..
JD
PS - I was having some Chicken Poppems for lunch today, when I recalled the grandson Chicken Poppem episode. I took this foto when I decided to relate the story. As you can see, I still have Poppems to enjoy later this afternoon. :-)
PPS - That recipe with the Franks sauce also works great for regular fried chicken or tenders, or whatever. Just bathe the pieces in the sauce before you flour it. Then, if needed, salt it when finished frying.
PPPS - Had a couple of queries on the name Chicken Poppems. They're chicken hearts and you pop 'em in your mouth; hence Chicken Poppems...I know it's dumb, but it was a quick thot when grandson asked what they were. :-)
PPPPS - I've since found that cutting the chicken hearts in half before soaking and flouring them can also be beneficial. While not as large as a whole heart, the half heart exposes open inner cavities to the Frank's Red Hot Sauce and causes the Chicken Poppems to be just a bit crispier. For some reason I just can't stop experimenting. - 14Aug2013
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