Fried Chicken

Serves 5-6
Source: Adapted from Ad Hoc Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe

You need a heavy dutch oven frying pot with lid, a good thermometer, and baking paper. Reuse the oil the next night for e.g. arancini, or filter back into the oil bottle.

Ingredients

• 750g chicken breasts
• 1 cup (~250ml) buttermilk
• 1 litre vegetable oil

Brine

• 950ml water
• 1/4 cup salt
• 3 tsp honey
• (optional) 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 garlic bulb, rough chop
• 1/2 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1.5 tsp dried thyme
• (optional) 10g fresh parsley springs, if you have it
• 1 lemon - grated zest and juice (or just juice if using concentrate)

Coating

• 1.75 cups plain flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Add the brine ingredients to a saucepan, and bring to the boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring, then leave to cool completely. Separating into different dishes can speed this up - don't put the chicken in while it's above room temp.
2. Prep the chicken, cutting each breast into 3 or 4 goujons dependent on size. The goujons should be equal thickness.
3. Put chicken into brine, leave 3-6 hours. The chicken will cook and go white slightly from the acid in the lemon juice.

1. Remove chicken from brine, rinse completely and pat dry, leave chicken to come to room temperature
2. Two bowls - one with Coating above, and one with buttermilk. Place baking paper sheet to one side.
3. Fill heavy casserole with lid with the oil, start gently heating to 375F/190C
1. Safety - Only enough oil to cover the chicken, 2 inches maybe. keep the lid on tight, don't leave the kitchen, monitor the temperature and don't overheat. This step is here to save time only, it can be done after coating the chicken.
4. Chicken, 3-4 at a time - Coating, Buttermilk, Coating, onto baking paper. After the buttermillk, shake the goujons of the excess or gently run them up the lip of the bowl before putting back in the coating. Keep one wet hand (buttermilk only), and one dry hand (flour only).
5. Re-toss the chicken in the remaining coating if they look moist before cooking.

This is the tricky part, the oil should be 375F/190C when the chicken goes in, then ideally it drops to 325F/162C for cooking. This is impossible to do exactly at home, but keep the heat constant and it works out. Over the course of the batches, get to know your pot and heat level, at the end of cooking the oil will be between 325 and 375. The chicken should not leak excessive grease while resting, and should not feel greasy while eating - this means heat too low. Likewise any part of the batter going black during cooking is heat too high - this will not taste good. Keep the heat constant, and only remove the lid when you have to. Repeat the following steps in batches:

• Heat until thermometer measures 375F with lid on
• Place a non-crowded layer of chicken (4ish goujons) into the pot, replace lid. Don't take the lid off toif you can help it.
• After 3 mins, turn the chicken over, replace lid, cook for another 1 to 2 mins. (depends on chicken size, pot heat)
• Safety - occasionally opening the lid can introduce water, and the oil starts to go mental, replace/crack the lid until it settles. Always open the lid facing away from you.
• Lift the chicken out (I use two wooden spatulas), then drain chicken on a rack over paper towels.

The trick is to play gently with the constant heat until 4-5 minutes cooks the chicken perfectly.  Cut the largest of the first few open after 5 minutes of cooling to check there's no pink visible (or test for 75C).

Can serve with roti, garlic mayo, lettuce etc, or rice and soy sauce, so on.