Thai Fried Chicken

I took out my running shoes today from a box they had been sitting snuggly in for 7 years. I hate running, but since cycling is banned, the swimming pool closed and walking more than 100m up is also out of the question, the boy is running out of options (pardon the pun..)

I considered Joe Wicks, but the mere mention of the PE acronym brings back all sorts of flashbacks to the worst moments of a mediocre school education. “I bet he’ll be trying to get me to do a forward roll” I say to myself as the final convincing narrative.

Anyway out I trotted on this beautiful morning and I’m pleased to say I came back A) Alive, B) Refreshed mentally and physically and C)..

Craving fried chicken.

This recipe is the one we used this winter, but we have played with many variations over the years, a more classic version can be found in our book.

This year we served it up in a homemade Bao bun with some chilli pickled cucumbers, sriracha mayonaise, coriander and a yuzu dressing. When it is just the two of us though we dispense with the faff of making Bao and just hoover it up with the pickles and some extra lettuce and herbs.

I recommend doubling or even trebling the flour mixture and keeping the spare flour in a container for when you come back from a gentle jog and need to replenish at speed.

Run fatboy run… x

Ingredients

1 whole de-boned chicken
3 garlic cloves grated
1 stick lemongrass, finely grated with a microplane
1 tbsp grated ginger
3 tbsp good quality oyster sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Grated zest from 1 Kaffir lime (or a normal lime if you can’t find them)
2 Kaffir lime leaves shredded and chopped to tiny pieces (optional)

Flour mix

270g flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1.5 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp mild curry powder
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground pepper

Method

Cut the chicken in to bite size pieces and mix with everything except the flour mix. Marinade the chicken for at least a couple of hours and up to 24.

Mix the flour and spices together in a large bowl and whisk together so all the spices are evenly distributed.

When you are ready to cook, heat around 1.5 cm oil in a wide frying pan to 180C. Heat the oven to 120C and get a baking tray ready.

In a mixing bowl toss the marinated chicken pieces in the flour mix until it is completely coated in the flour, really get the flour in to all the cracks as this will help it be crispy.

Cook the chicken in batches in the oil for around 4 mins turning occasionally until golden brown and cooked through. Keep the cooked chicken warm in the oven whilst you fry the rest of it.

Serve it with your favourite pickles and condiments.

That’s it! x