Masala Coated Chicken
Chatting with the publicist from my publishers, he kindly asked if I ‘had any plans for the weekend’ to which I reciprocated and he replied that he had a blissful weekend ahead, with his girlfriend away, he’d lined up 14 episodes of Home and Away....he couldn’t wait to indulge in his Guilty Pleasure and swore me to secrecy....oops. But these days Guilty Pleasures are worn on one’s metaphorical sleeve, we can’t help whispering them loudly to a confidante on a packed train, bus or in a shop. They’re shared as a bond of trust to elicit the other person’s GP, there are newspaper columns devoted to them, TV and radio shows peppered with them...Guilty Pleasures are simply made more pleasurable when they’re shared. Convinced?
Well this pre-amble is simply a pre-cursor to my confession. Every now and then I crave the Colonel’s finest crispy concoction of Kentucky Fried Chicken, yes I feel sullied and slightly grubby after devouring three pieces (no legs please) but sometimes there’s no remedy for my fowl lust. But keep it to yourself.
So with a Friday night ahead of us and a movie selected by the Maharani (bound to be a romcom) I assuaged my KFC urge and got to work in the kitchen to create RFC...Rajah Fried Chicken complete with a cracked spice coating and the added texture of masala blitzed popcorn. Unlike the Colonel’s this masala fried chicken recipe is made for sharing, finger lickin’ good? You betcha.
How To Make Rajah Fried Chicken
Serves 4
- 600g chicken fillets, butterflied and beaten to 1cm depth
- 200g breadcrumbs
- 200g unsalted popcorn
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 300ml vegetable oil
- 200g plain flour
- 2 eggs, fork whipped
- Salt
Slice each chicken fillet through the middle so that you have two fillets from each breast, pop them on a chopping board, cover with cling film and gently beat with a rolling pin or other blunt instrument so that each fillet spreads to a depth of 1cm.
In a blender pop in the breadcrumbs, popcorn and all the ground spices and a large pinch of salt. Next you’ll need three bowls, in one tip in the flour, in the next pour in the eggs and in the third add the blended ingredients. Take each piece of chicken and coat it in flour, then dunk it thoroughly in the egg and dip it in the masala popcorn mix. Why popcorn? It adds a delightful crunchy texture to the chicken. In a large frying pan heat the oil to a high temperature testing whether it’s hot enough by tossing in a breadcrumb, if it fizzes frantically it’s ready to accept the chicken. Gently lower in each piece of masala coated chicken frying for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side allowing it to develop a toffee coloured tan and rest on a platter of kitchen paper towels.
This guilty pleasure is best enjoyed with two companions, Harissa fries and a sweet paprika raitha.
Masala Coated Chicken
Chatting with the publicist from my publishers, he kindly asked if I ‘had any plans for the weekend’ to which I reciprocated and he replied that he had a blissful weekend ahead, with his girlfriend away, he’d lined up 14 episodes of Home and Away....he couldn’t wait to indulge in his Guilty Pleasure and swore me to secrecy....oops. But these days Guilty Pleasures are worn on one’s metaphorical sleeve, we can’t help whispering them loudly to a confidante on a packed train, bus or in a shop. They’re shared as a bond of trust to elicit the other person’s GP, there are newspaper columns devoted to them, TV and radio shows peppered with them...Guilty Pleasures are simply made more pleasurable when they’re shared. Convinced?
Well this pre-amble is simply a pre-cursor to my confession. Every now and then I crave the Colonel’s finest crispy concoction of Kentucky Fried Chicken, yes I feel sullied and slightly grubby after devouring three pieces (no legs please) but sometimes there’s no remedy for my fowl lust. But keep it to yourself.
So with a Friday night ahead of us and a movie selected by the Maharani (bound to be a romcom) I assuaged my KFC urge and got to work in the kitchen to create RFC...Rajah Fried Chicken complete with a cracked spice coating and the added texture of masala blitzed popcorn. Unlike the Colonel’s this masala fried chicken recipe is made for sharing, finger lickin’ good? You betcha.
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