Fried Chicken – KFC Style

Servings : Serves 4-5

This recipe is the closest of my fried chicken recipes to the famous KFC version, only spicier and hopefully more flavourful. I have tried this recipe with and without the skin on the chicken and, although it tastes great both ways, I will admit that it tastes better with the skin left on. And the texture is all the more crunchy on the outside with tender and moist chicken inside!

You can reduce or omit the chilli spice if making for little kids or if you prefer your chicken not so spicy hot.

Ingredients for Chicken Marinade

  • 1 chicken, cut up into 8-10 pieces (skin left on)
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp. ginger paste
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper powder
  • 1 tsp. mixed dried herbs of your choice (oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage)
  • 1 tsp. red chilli powder or cayenne pepper (optional)

Other Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour/plain flour
  • 1/2 cup cornflour
  • 2-4 tbsp breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes (optional)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. paprika powder
  • 1 tsp. red chilli powder or cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper powder
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 egg + 2 tbsp. milk + 2 tbsp. any hot chilli sauce
  • oil for deep frying

Instructions

You can mix half cup of yoghurt with half cup of milk in place of the buttermilk. Or simply make your own buttermilk, add 2 tbsp. lemon or vinegar in each cup of milk and let it stand for 10-15 minutes, then stir and use. Do not omit this step as it will give maximum moistness and it infuses flavour into the chicken.

Marinate the chicken in the marinade ingredients overnight.

Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and blot them a little bit with kitchen towels. DO NOT rinse them as that will wash away the flavours that have built up during the marination. Set aside on a sieve until they come to room temperature.

Make sure the chicken pieces come to room temperature before you begin frying, so take them out of the fridge no less than half an hour before you need to start frying.

In a wide plate, mix the flour, cornflour, breadcrumbs/cornflakes, baking powder, salt, paprika, chilli/cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. This will be your seasoned ‘dredging’ flour. In a second plate, whisk the egg with the milk and the hot chilli sauce.

Prepare a rack on which you will place the chicken pieces to rest after coating, and another raised one lined with some kitchen tissues/towels on which you will remove the chicken after frying.

Dip each chicken piece first in the beaten egg, then roll it in the seasoned flour. You can repeat if you want a thicker coating, one more time in the egg and then in the flour. Place on a rack and continue until all the chicken pieces are coated and resting on the rack. Let them rest for about 5 minutes so that the coating holds properly to the chicken.

You can now heat oil in a deep pan. Make sure your oil is to the right temperature. Use a thermometer if you have one  (350 F or 177 C); if not, you’ll know the oil is hot enough when it browns a bit of bread in under 30 seconds.

Gently, place the chicken pieces into the hot oil, making sure not to overcrowd it. Fry on medium heat for a total of about 12-15 minutes, turning the pieces over once in between.

Remove the chicken onto the wire rack lined with kitchen towels. This will ensure the chicken remains crispy all around and any excess oil will get blotted off at the same time.

Allow the chicken to cool for about 10 minutes and then serve!

Enjoy!

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