There appears to me to be only two types of cooks on Instagram and that is either #vegan #healthy #cleanliving or super duper fatty and indulgent food makers. I like to think I can straddle both but know that ultimately I will always be the fatty and indulgent man because it's what I love to cook. Homemade, yes but not always healthy.
One of the best examples of this attempted balancing act is my fried chicken and fresh slaw salad. Now tried and tested a whole one-time and I can report it was a roaring success, even tempting my sister, who is on a diet (sorry!), to try some.
There are probably a million and one recipes out there for fried chicken, for the varied styles across the globe, but I have tried to rob and thieve the elements I like the most to create something sweet, salty and spicy to go alongside a vibrant and lively slaw salad that nicely balances out the overwhelming sense of cardiac arrest within the words "fried chicken" served with and rich spicy sauce that compliments the absolute savoury flavours within the chicken.
My blog is in its infancy right now but if you are going to try one of my recipes now or going forward make this your place to start, I entreat you, because it is one I feel is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Wet mix (to be made separately)
200ml buttermilk
1tsp tamarind
1tsp chipotle
1tsp rice wine vinegar
1tsp worcester sauce
1tsp sriracha
2tbsp soy sauce
2tbsp tomato ketchup
Dry mix (to be made separately)
200g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp paprika
2tsp muscavado sugar
1tsp golden caster sugar
600g of chicken thighs (sliced in half horizontally)
1.5l veg oil for frying
Slaw Salad
1/4 red cabbage (finely sliced lengthways)
2 small carrots cut to thin battons
1/2 red onion cut finely lengthways
4 large radishes finely sliced
Handful of chopped coriander
50g toasted cashews and peanuts (1/2 tsp of five spice and salt for toasting)
1/2 fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
Method
Make your slaw first and set aside in the fridge by combining your sliced veg, keeping aside the coriander and nuts, in a bowl seasoning with salt and the chilli flakes. Toast your nuts by setting a high heat, no oil, and placing them into the pan and seasoning with 1/4 five spice and salt. Allow them to sit in the pan and begin to crack, not burn, and toss intermittently to ensure they don't turn to charcoal. Turn the heat off once darkened and season with the rest of the five spice and salt and set aside to cool.
To make the fried chicken start by mixing all of your wet ingredients together and dry together (separate bowls) and add your chicken thighs to the wet mix, marinading for as long as you can wait. Once marinaded fill a large pan or fryer with your oil and bring to 180c and turn your oven to 125c, covering your marinaded chicken in your dry mix, shaking off any excess, and place into the fryer or pan, remembering to always place your chicken away from yourself as you place in to save any splashing.
Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes, ensuring not to overload the pan or fryer so the chicken cooks, turning the chicken to evenly cook the batter. Once cooked and the batter browned remove from with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen roll to remove any excess oil. Once all chicken is cooked place into the oven to allow you to finish your slaw and make your sauce.
To complete the dish, bring your sauce to heat in a pan by combining all ingredients and stirring regularly until dark and molasses like. Bring off the heat and add to an appropriate dipping bowl, I picked a souffle dish to be contrary. Remove your salad from the fridge, tossing in your nuts and coriander and squeeze over the fresh lime to bring it all to life.
Serve to as many people in your home would eat 600g of chicken, in ours it's just me and Charlotte (mostly me), and enjoy the spectrum of flavours on display.
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