The supermarket shelves are far from plentiful right now, and our weekly big shops have been stripped back to basics. That's why we've started a new series, Simple Recipes from Top Chefs, where we're going to be regularly providing you with... simple recipes from top chefs.
In this instalment, chef James Cochran – proprietor of the very, very nice 12:51 in Angel, London, which is running a pick-up and delivery service – walks us through his much-loved buttermilk jerk-spiced fried chicken. Support Hospitality Action here.
INGREDIENTS
2l veg oil
500g boneless/skinless chicken (thigh, breast or wings will all work)
250ml buttermilk (you should be able to pick up some in most supermarkets; if you can't, you can make your own substitute: stir one tablespoon of lemon juice into 250ml milk, leave it to settle for 10 minutes and you're done)
100g flour
4 eggs, whisked
300g breadcrumbs, or stale bread, blitzed
50g any store cupboard spices (I like to use jerk spice but anything with a kick will work – mild curry, chilli, paprika, turmeric, garam masala, whatever you’ve got)
A handful crushed of nuts (corn nuts, peanuts, almonds, cashews – again, just grab what’s in the cupboard)
"Make Friday nights banging with my recipe for proper fried chicken. After a busy week working from home it’s the ideal partner with a nice cold beer. If you have any left, bung it between some sliced bread, chilli sauce and mayo for the brunch sandwich of dreams. Will be very impressed if you do have any left though – it makes an even better post-midnight snack, post-dancing to some banger in the club (AKA my living room and Spotify playlist)"
METHOD
- Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and mix them with the buttermilk and spices. Season with salt and leave for six hours; the acid in the buttermilk will tenderise the chicken and penetrate the spice into it.
- Panne the chicken – start by mixing the bread crumbs with the flour. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Then dip the chicken in egg mix, and coat with the flour and breadcrumb mix.
- If you have a fryer, set it to 180C. If you don’t, heat a deep saucepan with enough oil to fill it three-quarters of the way up, and get it nice and hot – a kitchen thermometer will obviously be handy here, if you’ve got one.
- Fry the chicken for six minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove them and let them drain on paper.
- Serve with your sauce and herbs of choice, and enjoy with an ice cold beer. I like to garnish with coriander, spring onion, peanuts and lots of chilli jam, but mayonnaise, mustard mayo, ketchup and yogurt with smoked paprika all work too, and if you’re not into coriander, parsley, basil, mint and tarragon would all do.
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