Picnics remind me of my mom and growing up at the house on Mt. Vernon. A home surrounded by sage brush in the Box Spring Mountains. Grammie Lambie never warmed up to the chaparral shrubland or the summers. She believed in escaping the heat of Riverside by taking day trips to Newport Beach, the San Bernardino Mountains, and the cool shade trees of Fairmount Park. She would cook for hours, making fried chicken, potato salad and fresh fruit in which she would pack up into the junker of a car. After discovering the California Heritage Cookbook’s recipe that hides the chicken inside a loaf of sourdough, it became a family favorite. Grateful to escape the 100-plus degree heat, we would stretch out on a blanket and enjoy the Southern tradition of fried chicken. 

After my mom moved to the Big Island, Annie and I would spend vacations visiting her. She and Annie both loved the beach and a favorite outing included swimming in the warm ocean water, making castles in the sand, followed by a picnic at sunset. Cooking was my mom’s language of love and she often prepared this fried chicken in a basket to take on our adventure. In the late afternoon, we would pack up the feast and take a drive to places like City of Refuge, Hapuna or the beach at mile marker 69.  These traditions of my childhood carried over even after I had Annie.. For years I made this dish to celebrate Annie’s birthdays and served it to her high school friends at Shakespeare in the Park. 

Fried chicken makes the ultimate picnic food; it travels well and is easy to eat with your hands. This is called Perfect Picnic in a Basket for a reason.

The dried tarragon, thyme, sesame, and poppy seeds result in a savory flavor that complements the richness of the fried chicken. A hollowed-out round of sourdough bread is a sturdy and delicious vessel for the chicken. The tangy sourdough flavor balances the richness of the fried chicken and it keeps the chicken warm while you get to your picnic spot.

Recipe from the California Heritage Cookbook – Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• ½ C Flour
• 1 ½ T Sesame Seeds
• ½ T Dried Thyme
• ¾ t Dried Tarragon
• ½ T Poppy Seeds
• 1 t Salt
• 1 t Pepper
• 8 Chicken Thighs
• 2 Egg whites, lightly beaten
• 2 T Butter
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1 Round loaf of sourdough bread

Herb and butter sauce

• 4 T Butter
• 3 T Sesame Seeds
• 1 T Dried Thyme
• 1½ t Dried Tarragon
• 1 T Poppy Seeds

Directions

• In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, sesame seeds, thyme, poppy seeds, 3/4 teaspoon tarragon, salt, and pepper.  
• Dip the chicken thighs in beaten egg white and then coat each piece thoroughly in the flour mixture.  
• Meanwhile, melt the butter and olive oil in a 10–12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Brown the chicken thoroughly (about seven minutes per side). 
• Place the chicken onto a three-quart casserole dish, cover, and bake 40 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven. Prepare the herb and seed butter sauce by melting butter in a small saucepan. Add sesame seeds, dried thyme, tarragon, and poppy seeds into melted butter and take off the heat.
• To prepare the “basket,” cut a large hole in the center of the round bread. Scoop out the inside of the loaf, leaving about 3/4 inch of bread around the edge. With a pastry brush,  spread Herb and Seeds Butter Sauce over the entire inside of the loaf and inside of the top.  
• Place the loaf and top on a cookie sheet.
• Put the chicken into the “basket” and return the chicken, basket, and top to the oven on the cookie sheet to bake for an additional 20 minutes, uncovered.  
• Remove the basket from the oven, cover it with the top, and then wrap it in several layers of foil, surrounded by several layers of newspaper. The chicken will remain warm for several hours this way.  
• When serving the picnic in the basket encourage each guest to tear off a piece of herb bread with each piece of chicken.