Fried Chicken Sandwich

This recipe is courtesy of BBC GoodFood.

Ingredients

For the pink-pickled onions

• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• red wine vinegar or lime juice to cover

For the fried chicken

• 75ml/2½fl oz kefir, buttermilk or plain yogurt
• ½ tsp hot smoked paprika, plus ¼ tsp for the coating
• ½ tsp fine sea salt, plus ¼ tsp for the coating
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp maple syrup
• 1 fat garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 small boneless chicken thigh fillet, skin removed
• 4–5 tbsp plain flour
• sunflower oil for deep-frying

To serve

• 4 tbsp garlic mayonnaise
• 1 tsp crispy chili oil or other chili sauce
• ¼ tsp honey
• 1 burger bun, split, or 2 slices of white bread
• a few leaves of iceberg lettuce
• kimchi or pickles of your choice

Method

1. Make your pickled onions in advance: at least 2 hours before doing this, and up to 24. Put the onion into a jar and cover with the vinegar, or lemon juice depends what you have, pressing down on the onions.

2. Pour the yogurt into a small dish and stir in ½ teaspoon of paprika, ½ teaspoon of salt, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, and garlic. Add the chicken and turn to coat in the marinade ensuring all sides are covered before using. Cover the dish, then leave it in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
3. Doing everything in advance would be better than attempting this by yourself, therefore if you have done all the steps so far, listen to the up to 4 hours and wait that long.

4. After waiting the 4 hours or 2 days, take the chicken out of the fridge in good time to get to room temperature before you start to cook it.

5. Mix the flour with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of paprika and salt in a dish. Lift the chicken out of the marinade. Make sure not to shake it off at all. Dredge both sides of the chicken in flour, then dip briefly back into the marinade and dredge again. You can leave the coated chicken in the flour dish until you fry it.

6. Mix the garlic mayonnaise with the chili oil and honey, and spread over both sides of a split burger bun, ensure it is all done. Put a plate lined with kitchen paper by the hob, make sure it is not near the hob at this point.

7. Pour enough oil into a saucepan. Heat until a small piece of bread becomes golden and crisp. This should happen straight away, makes it easier than waiting longer. Be careful when gently lowering the chicken into the hot oil, and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side, until the coating is deep gold and the chicken is completely cooked through. Drain on the paper-lined plate and leave to stand, this should only be for a couple of minutes, while you shred some iceberg lettuce and get out your pickles.

8. Put a handful of lettuce on the mayo on the bottom of the bun, top with the fried chicken, and add sauces if you’d like.

Banner and Image Credit: BBC