Day 27: Crunchy Onion Chicken and Cake Balls

I chose Crunchy Onion Chicken about 30 minutes prior to cooking. As of then, I still didn't have a five ingredient recipe, so I went through my pantry and read the backs of all the cans and boxes to find something to make. The French's Fried Onion can provided me with this 4 ingredient recipe. We like chicken; we like fried onions, so it was a pretty safe choice.

Cake balls...ohhh sweet, sweet cake balls. Thanks(or no thanks) to Dianna I was introduced to these devil desserts. They are seriously addicting; you can't eat just one. I really struggled with whether I was going to make them or not because I knew that if they were in my house I 'd eat like...all of them.

They are very similar to Paul's speciality, Oreo Balls. Exact same prep work, just a few different ingredients. Paul's co-workers demand cake balls about twice a year; they love them so much that the ladies at his work coined them oreogasims. The men at work make jokes all day long about Paul's delicious balls. I will quickly give the recipe for these as well in case someone is interested. Whether it's cake balls or Oreo balls you crave, either way you will not be disappointed.

Crunchy Onion Chicken
4 chicken breasts
2 cups French Fried Onions
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg, beaten

Step 1: Crush onions in baggie with flour

Step 2: Dip chicken in egg then coat with onions

Step 3: Cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes

Kitchen Play by Play: Austin helped measure and crush the onions. I dipped and coated them. The END!!! Served with broccoli(steamed in my new BFF) and mac n cheese.

The Finished Product:
The Verdict:
Nicole- What a great find!!! This recipe has been sitting in my pantry the whole time, and I never knew it. I can not get over how moist the chicken was!!! It was a great contrast to the crunchy coating. I would maybe salt and pepper the egg mixture next time just for a little more saltiness; but other than that, I am really impressed. Super, super easy with a very quick cook time. I ate my chicken with some BBQ sauce. Yummy!! I give it a 4.

Paul-gives it a 4. "Sometimes all you need is a little crunchy onion." Paul dipped his chicken in honey mustard.

Austin- HOLY COW!!!! This child went to town on dinner tonight. He asked for seconds of everything. Paul and I don't remember the last time we saw him eat so much. He dipped his chicken in ranch.

Cake Balls
Box of any flavor cake mix (and ingredients needed to prepare it), or favorite cake
Can of any flavor frosting (or your favorite frosting recipe)
Any flavor almond bark or candy coating

Step 1:Bake the cake according to box directions, or prepare your favorite cake recipe.

Step 2:Once the cake has cooled, crumble into a large bowl using a fork (the smaller the crumbs, the better). Stir in frosting until a paste is formed.

Step 3: Chill the mixture for at least an hour.

Step 4: Once chilled, roll into balls and freeze overnight (I place mine on wax paper on a cookie sheet).

Step 5: Dip frozen balls into melted almond bark or candy coating and allow to cool. Store at room temperature or if preferred, chilled.

A couple of tips(from Dianna): Unless you have a candy dipper thingy, I recommend two fondue forks for dipping if you have them.The balls thaw rather quickly and can fall apart when dipping, so I keep half the batch in the freezer while dipping the first half.

Oreo Balls
1pkg Oreos
1 8 oz cream cheese, warmed
Almond bark or candy coating, melted

Exact same process. Just blend the Oreos until powdery. Add cream cheese until a paste forms.

Kitchen Play by Play: So easy. The hardest part is waiting 24 hours for them and destroying the perfectly cooked cake. I am not patient enough to really care about the ascetics of the balls, so mine end up looking a little lumpy with extra chocolate on the bottoms. However, I have never received a complaint for the extra chocolate. There are so many different options with the cake balls. I chose to do Chocolate Fudge cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate candy coating. I did run out of candy coating so I used the vanilla almond bark I had in the pantry for the remainder of the balls. With the Oreo balls, we have done mint Oreos, PB Oreos, and regular Oreos. These really are desserts that keep on giving due to endless possibilities. I think I will try Carrot cake balls next time with cream cheese frosting and vanilla candy coating. Or maybe Red Velvet, or Spice, or all of the above!!!

The Finished Product
The Verdict:
Nicole- There are no words...5.

Paul-gives them a 4.5 and he doesn't like cake. "As far as cake goes, it's the only way I like it."

Austin's sole purpose in life is to eat cake balls or at least that is the way he has made it seem these last two days. They have been a great bargaining tool. :) He would eat them until he burst and then probably just start all over again.