Most of us Brits love a takeaway whether it’s burgers and chips or a tasty Chinese.
And, one of our favourite dishes is crispy, golden fried chicken… even the kids love a chicken finger.
However, with the cost of living crisis pushing food prices up and gas bills making us all gasp we’re not looking to splash out every week for this delicious dish.
Luckily, fried chicken is one of those recipes that can be done to a fantastic standard at home in your kitchen. Even without a deep fat fryer. And, you can customise the flavours to your liking.
Here at the Daily Star we spoke to a number of top chefs to get the low-down on cooking fried chicken at home.
Here’s what they had to say:
Double fry
Senior Food Innovator Jordan Moore from recipe box Gousto said: “If you're looking for EXTRA crispy chicken, double fry it!
“Once you've got the chicken to a nice and crispy, transfer it to a plate and crank the heat up as high as it will go.
“Return the chicken to the very hot oil for another minute or so and you'll be left with super crispy pieces of chicken.”
You can use either a deep fat fryer or a pan filled half way with oil. Just make sure you never leave the pan alone while the heat is on as you don’t want to start a kitchen fire!
Batter up
He continued: “The key to really great Korean fried chicken is the approach to battering.
“First, coat in a thick batter made with soy and flour, before adding to a dry cornflour mix, which will provide more of a crunch than just dredging in flour.”
Meanwhile, chef Susy Massetti, who posts recipes on Instagram, @susy.massetti, said: “Buy chicken pieces so people won’t fight over a wing or a drumstick, I personally prefer to use a variety including chicken thighs, drumsticks and wings but I rarely use the breast meat!
“Then dry brine it. Do this by using a good amount of sea salt and sprinkle it all over the chicken and leave it in the refrigerator uncovered, ideally overnight or at room temperature at least 1-hour prior to cooking time.”
Suzy also recommends using paprika, garlic, rosemary and sage in your dry mix.
She said: “I douse the chicken freely with the mixture and then I dip it in a milk/eggs white mixture (1 cup milk or buttermilk to 2 egg whites well mixed) then straight into the flour/corn starch mix (1 cup flour 2 tbs corn starch) pressing the mixture with my hands on the chicken pieces.
“Let it rest for 30 minutes on a rack while you bring your oil up to 175.”
Allowing the chicken to soak up the flour a bit before frying gives it an incredible crunch.
And, Founder of Jess Cooks, Jess Mackenzie adds Panko breadcrumbs to her recipe for added crunch.
She told us: “Really important to pat any moisture off the chicken with kitchen roll first (never wash it!), then dust with the flour, dip in the egg, roll in the breadcrumbs.”
Drip dry
To avoid the chicken being greasy he recommended letting it drip a bit – you can use a wire rack or even a sieve.
Jordan noted: “To make sure the skin is extra crispy, drain on a wire rack over a tray lined with kitchen paper for a few minutes to allow the excess oil to drain off.
“If you are cooking in batches, place the tray (without the kitchen roll!) in a low heat oven to keep warm.”
Top with sauce
You could simply top your fried chicken with a buffalo hot sauce or BBQ glaze but there are some fiery alternatives too.
Combine 10ml ketchup, 15ml rice vinegar, 25g honey, 30g gochujang paste and a splash of water for a yummy Korean sauce (check out Gousto’s recipe here ).
Or, Suzy recommends: “Equal parts of sriracha, soy and honey well mixed with a touch of lemon juice, spicy and delish!”
While Jess said: “Gently fry two cloves of garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil until softened, then add 2 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp Worcester sauce, a sprinkle of dried chillis (options) and 3 tbsp water, then season well with salt and pepper.
“Simmer until thick and glossy then pour into a small bowl for dipping!”
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