CHOPPED Thursdays Round #5 – Greg’s Turn

I realize in my last post about CHOPPED Thursdays, I explained the next lineup.  It was originally supposed to be me, but plans changed, so I got bumped to the last chef in the 4 chef line-up.

Greg is the chef tonight, and it’s his SECOND time in the CHOPPED kitchen.  Bob was in charge of determining the 4 basket ingredients, so he chose Chicken Drumstick and Wings (2 large packages), Herr’s Barbeque Potato Chips, Celery, and Bud Light Lime (2 cans).  Total Spent = $17.

First thing Greg started to do was pull the wings out of the packages.  He coated them in crushed up, seasoned BBQ chips, and threw them in the oven.  Then he did the same for the drumsticks.

Next, Greg turned his attention to the beer – he poured both cans into a pot, and let it boil for a little bit.  He tried to add Minute Rice to the pot, but didn’t have enough.  So he chose risotto.  Adding risotto to the beer, he decided that this was a good choice.

Turning his attention to the drumsticks covered in BBQ chips, he decided to deep fry each one, and then he placed each deep fried piece of chicken into the oven to finish cooking.

While waiting for each drumstick to cook, he took the celery and sliced them very thin – going towards making a slaw, he finished cutting the celery, and added ranch dressing and some chives.

After that, he began to plate his dish…first the ranch celery slaw, then the chicken wings….he pulled them off the baking sheet with his hands…nothing else…they were hot…and he burned his fingers…awesome…lol

Then he plated the risotto…that was piping hot…if you look closely, you can see the steam rising off that first plate…

Next he plated the drumsticks…the same way – pulling them out of the 500 degree oven with his bare hands…no joke.  Also burned his hands…oh well…

Here’s the Entree:  BBQ Chip Crusted Chicken Wings &  Drumsticks, with a Bud Light Lime Risotto, served with a Ranch Celery Slaw.

Now…the Judging begins….keep in mind that the full scores will be shared with the group after the final chef presents their dish.

Entree Summary:  The BBQ chip crusted chicken was good – you could definitely still taste the BBQ, and additional seasonings on the chicken.  The Bud Light Lime Risotto was less than appetizing, and wasn’t a “true” risotto.  The Ranch Celery Slaw was fantastic, and addicting.  The only ingredient that was truly re-purposed was the Bud Light Lime – I liked the idea of having it as a base for the Risotto.