Fried Chicken in a chutney marinade

I think the whole world knows that when you bread a bird and cook it in oil, you get the best food ever. This particular recipe is a variation of the Bengali Fried Fish which I did. This variation is for my mother who does not eat fish.

A very different Fried Chicken

Time

  • Prep Time : 40 minutes + 3.5 hours marinade and rest
  • Cook Time : 20 minutes
  • Active Time : approximately 60 minutes

Ingredients

For 2 people

  1. 350-400gms boneless chicken thigh fillets. You can use Breast meat as well.

For the marinade

  1. 6 Garlic cloves
  2. 1/2" knob of Ginger
  3. 3 green chilies (seeds and all)
  4. 100 gms of coriander (leaves and stems)
  5. 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
  6. 3-4 teaspoons of water
  7. Salt to taste

For the breading 8. 2 cups of breadcrumbs 9. 4 eggs 10. 1/4 cup of plain flour 11. salt to taste

Method

Marinade and Crumb

  1. Prepare the marinade - take all the marinade ingredients (except the water) and grind them in a liquidiser or a spice grinding jar.
  2. The marinade should be a thick paste, so use some of the water only to help the grinding of ingredients.
  3. Once done - it should be a bright vibrant green.
  4. Coat all the fillets with the marinade, you should have a generous layer across the fillets, not thick, but ensure complete coverage
  5. Once done, rest the fillets covered in the fridge for at least 3 hours. I suggest using a glass or similar non-reactive container.
  6. To prepare the breading season the bread crumbs, and the plain flour with a little salt
  7. Beat up the eggs so it is a thick liquid, but not frothy.
  8. Remove the chicken from the fridge
  9. Dip it in the flour and lightly dust all sides. The chicken should be sufficiently damp from the marinade for the flour to stick to it.
  10. Dip the chicken in the egg and then in the crumbs.
  11. Dip the chicken in the egg again and crumb it a second time. This will give you a sufficiently thick layer to protect the fish and also get nice and crispy.
  12. Let the crumbed chicken rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you start frying. This chicken can be allowed to rest for upto 4 hours. If resting any longer than 30 minutes, pull it out 10 minutes before you start cooking.

Frying

  1. Use a sufficiently large skillet to cook 2 fillets at one time with about an inch and a half of space around each fillet
  2. The chicken should be shallow fried, so use enough oil to fill the skillet to the half height of the fillet’s thickness
  3. Heat up the oil on medium heat, till when you drop in a bread cube, it gently starts bubbling.
  4. Put in the fillets and cook till one side is golden flip over and cook the other side till it reaches the same colour.
  5. Pull out and let rest on absorbent paper
  6. Prepare the other fillets in the same way.
  7. Serve hot

I would serve this with Kasundi - Strong and Pungent, it looks like a liquid seeded mustard and bright yellow.

But this chicken holds up well to be used with Ketchup, Mayonnaise and I also recommend trying this with Tzatziki.

Tips

  1. If you want a lighter breading, don’t double dip, but stick a bit more crumbs in the first round
  2. Don’t let the oil get too hot or the crumbs will burn and the fish will be raw.

Eat in good health!