Fried chicken with pineapple hot sauce
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- plus overnight brining
- Easy
- Serves 4
Ingredients
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 heaped tsp fine sea salt
- 500ml buttermilk
- 200g rice flour
- 100g cornflour
- 3½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 10g oregano leaves
Method
- STEP 1
Quarter each chicken thigh, then tip into a large bowl. Season well with the salt, then pour over the buttermilk and give it all a good mix. Cover and chill overnight.
- STEP 2
Combine the rice flour, cornflour, baking powder, paprika, garlic granules, dried oregano, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper in a medium bowl. Drop in the brined chicken pieces, four at a time, tossing lightly to coat well. Gently shake off any excess, then arrange on a baking tray.
- STEP 3
Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan (ensuring it is no more than two-thirds full) to 170C or until a cube of bread dropped in browns within 30 seconds. Fry the chicken in small batches for 3 mins at a time until golden and cooked through. This will help keep the oil at the right temperature and won’t overcrowd the pan.
- STEP 4
Remove the fried chicken pieces to a clean tea towel using tongs to drain off any excess oil, then transfer to a wire rack to ensure they stay crisp. Alternatively, put the fried chicken on a clean baking tray and keep warm and crisp in a low oven. When all the chicken pieces have been fried, drop the oregano leaves into the hot oil and fry until crisp, about 30 seconds- 1 min. Arrange the chicken on a serving platter, scatter over the fried oregano and serve with the pineapple sauce (see 'goes well with', below).
