My wife bought me a chip pan for my birthday. She's romantic like that. Plus she likes chips. I'm trying to ration my use of it because I don't want us to contribute to the national obesity epidemic, but it's great to use once in a while (well, twice a week) especially when I come across a recipe that begs for it to be heated up.
This one is modified from Nigella Lawson's 2007 archive (which goes to show that a good recipe is timeless). The woman formerly known as the Domestic Goddess used thighs and drumsticks, but I've just used thighs. It's very, very more-ish.
Serves 2
4 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
300ml milk, or enough to cover the thighs in a container
1 litre vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
200g plain flour
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg, beaten
1. Place the chicken in a plastic container and cover with milk. Put in the fridge for 2 hours to overnight. This helps tenderise the meat, but is optional.
2. Transfer the chicken and milk to a saucepan. Bring the milk to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low allowing to simmer until the chicken is cooked through entirely, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the milk, and place on a rack to cool. Allow them to sit until warm for about 15 minutes, and then pat dry using a kitchen towel.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a chip pan over high heat just until it's nearly at the smoking point.
4. In a large zip-lock bag, add salt, flour, cayenne pepper, shake to combine.
5. In a medium bowl, beat 1 egg.
6. Place each piece of chicken, one at a time, in the bag and shake to coat the chicken. Then dip chicken into the egg to coat. Place the chicken back into the flour to coat for a second time. Repeat this method on remaining 3 pieces of chicken.
7. Gently drop each piece of chicken into hot oil, allowing the skin to crisp and turn golden brown in colour, about 1 minute per side. Remove from the oil and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
8. Serve hot or cold with potato salad or coleslaw.
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