One of my favourite things in life is fried chicken and so without a local fried chicken shop available I had to take desperate measures and make my own... this is an top notch recipe, that you simply must try, it really does taste as good as it looks.
See the tips at the bottom for popcorn version.
Prep time 10 mins (plus marinating time)
Cooking time 20 mins
2 chicken breasts
500ml milk
2tsp dried rosemary
4tsp hot chilli powder (mild will also do the job)
2tsp salt
1tsp pepper
2tsp dried oregano
2tsp garlic powder
2tsp onion powder
2tsp ground ginger
2 eggs
200g plain flour
100g cornflour
2tsp of hot or mild chilli powder
1tsp garlic powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2tsp salt each of salt
1tsp black pepper
Prepare the chicken breasts, I cut the fat end off to make one large burger and then use the thinner end just as a mini fillet on the side of my plate. In a large bowl put all of the ingredients and whisk to combine, then add your chicken cover and leave to marinade for as long as possible, remembering to take it out of the fridge for 30mins before cooking so that its not too cold when you it comes to frying, this will alter the oil temp drastically.
Heat your deep fryer to 180c.
Prepare the coating by combining all of the coating ingredients in another bowl.
Take the larger parts of the breast between some cling film and bash until thinner, then dip this into the wet marinade then into the flour mixture, back into the marinade then lastly back into the flour again, making sure its coated evenly all over, carefully put this into your hot oil. You can repeat this with the other larger end of the breast, the two smaller ends won't need bashing.
Depending on your fryer I wouldn't suggest adding more then 3 pieces of chicken at a time because it will bring the temperature of the oil down, you can always keep the cooked pieces warm on a low heated oven while you finish the rest.
Cook for 12-15mins, but always check chicken before eating to make sure its cooked through.
Then carefully take the chicken out rest it on some kitchen paper to drain any excess oil, I like to add another sprinkle of salt at this point but that's your choice.
For me I served in a brioche bun, with mayo, lettuce, shredded carrot and red cabbage, diced tomato and a little hot sauce, with the extra little bit of fillet on the side with some homemade chicken shop gravy... Yummy!!
Dice up the chicken breast to make popcorn chicken, just cook for a few mins less, always making sure to check they are cooked through before eating, these are great in a bowl with a film and some beers.
You can use a deep sauce pan to heat the oil in but please be very careful and it is important that the oil temperature stays as consistent as possible.
Always use tongs when adding or removing food from hot oil, and never leave it unattended, making sure to unplug or turn off the hob once you have finished.
