SOUL FRIED CHICKEN
I put my whole soul into this one 😉 If you want fried chicken packed with flavour, cook it with love and it’ll love you back.
It was my birthday last week, well not my birthday, LetsMunch’s birthday. It's been four years since I posted my first recipe video on 4/20, and since a lot of you probably spent that day getting fried, it only makes sense that we make some fried chicken.
I spent most of my childhood in Poland, so the first time I had proper fried chicken was when I moved to London and boss man at our local chicken shop changed my life forever. I took a bite of that crispy, sizzling piece of chicken; I was hooked.
Last year, the career we're celebrating with this recipe allowed me to travel to Texas with the NFL, where my love for fried chicken and soul food became an obsession.
The rest of the world loves to hate on American cuisine, but no one fries a piece of chicken quite like a Southerner. Getting it right is all in the fresh red seasoning that adds fragrance and the brine that makes the chicken super juicy. Fried chicken can be paired with anything but, we're keeping it classic and soulful with creamed corn and braised cabbage.
Tip: Buy a deep-fry thermometer (a cheap one from Amazon will do)—nothing messes up fried chicken like cooking in oil that's too hot or cold.
If you want to cook this along with me, here’s the recipe video!
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken:
4 chicken legs (drum and thigh)
Brine:
1.5L water
5 tbsp sea salt
1 orange
1 lemon
2 bay leaf
5 sprigs thyme
5 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 small onion
500g Ice
Red Seasoning:
1 red pepper (or half if it's a big one)
1 white onion
4 spring onions
5 cloves garlic
Juice of a quarter lemon
Juice of a quarter orange
Tbsp olive oil
6 sprigs coriander
6 sprigs parsley
Tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
Pinch of salt
200g flour AP flour
2 potential chickens
Neutral oil for frying
Braised Cabbage:
The inspiration for this one comes from collard greens, an American soul food staple. I couldn't find all the ingredients, so made a couple substitutions. The concept is the same, braised cabbage with juicy smoked meat. This is your reminder to make recipes work for you, what you use will depend somewhat on the ingredients you can find, personal preference, and budget.
1 head savoy cabbage (if you can find spring greens (collard) then use those)
1 white onion
6 cloves garlic
2 tbsp brown sugar
Tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
Tsp lemon pepper seasoning
Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Smoked ham hock (you can also use smoked turkey!)
1.2L chicken stock
Salt to taste
Creamed Corn:
Heaped tbsp AP flour
Tbsp hot honey
75g unsalted butter
150ml milk
100ml double cream
500g sweetcorn
75g grated parmesan (more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
RECIPE
Fried Chicken:
Step 1: Alright, brine time! To a bowl, add water (I use slightly warm water to help the salt dissolve) and salt. Stir till dissolved.
Step 2: Quarter the lemon, orange, and onion then lightly crush the garlic cloves and add those into the water along with everything else, including ice.
Step 3: Place your chicken in the brine, and put it in the fridge for at least 2-4 hours. You don’t want to leave the chicken in the brine too long as it’ll be too salty, but no less than 2 hours.
Step 4: In the meantime, let's prep the red seasoning. Put all the ingredients (except for the parsley and coriander) into a blender and blend until smooth. Add the herbs, and pulse blend again till combined. Give this a taste; add salt if necessary, lemon juice if it’s not acidic enough, or olive oil if it’s too sour. Cooking isn't an exact science, tend to it like a baby and decide what you think is lacking.
Step 5: Take your chicken out of the brine, pat it dry with paper towels, then add enough red seasoning so that the chicken is generously coated along with the smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Massage those seasonings into each chicken leg, ensuring every crevice is coated.
Step 6: Coat the chicken in flour on a separate plate/dish.
Step 7: Crack the eggs into the plate/dish you seasoned the chicken on, and whisk to mix in with the leftover seasoning.
Step 8: Coat the chicken in the egg mixture, then in plain flour once more. Tip: Press the coating into the chicken and let the chicken sit either in the flour or on a wired rack for 10 minutes before frying.
Step 9: Heat a deep pot or pan filled with neutral oil (vegetable, sunflower, rapeseed, etc) to 170C and fry the chicken in batches for 10/12 minutes or until cooked through. The brine will give you some leeway, so if you overcook the chicken, it should still remain quite juicy. Tip: Place the cooked chicken on a wired rack, never on a flat surface or the bottom will get soggy.
Step 10: Finish with flaky salt as soon as it comes out of the oil.
Braised Cabbage:
Braising cabbage is not a quick process. However, most of it is braising time. I suggest you follow these steps whilst your chicken is in the brine.
Step 1: Take the individual leaves off the cabbage, stack them up, roll (we're celebrating 4/20 after all 😮💨)
Step 2: Slice lengthways in half and then cut into manageable pieces. This will be braising for at least 90 minutes, so you want the pieces quite big otherwise the cabbage will disintegrate.
Step 3: Wash the chopped cabbage with salt and water and drain.
Step 4: Add a sliced onion and finely chopped garlic to a big pot with some oil, and sautée until translucent. Add the cabbage in batches until you can fit all of it in, then add the sugar, vinegar, and seasonings.
Step 5: Add the ham hock, top with chicken stock, cover, and let simmer for an hour and a half to two hours.
Step 6: Remove the ham hock, take all the meat off the bone, add that back in, and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Creamed Corn:
Step 1: Add butter and flour to a pot on medium heat and cook for around 2/3 minutes until it starts to bubble.
Step 2: Add hot honey, turn the heat down, then gradually add milk whilst whisking constantly.
Step 3: Add the double cream, sweetcorn, and parmesan.
Step 4: Mix until it’s a nice thick consistency and season with salt and pepper to taste. Tip: Keep adding hot honey if it's not sweet/spicy enough for you.