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.
Time
- Prep Time : 40 minutes + 3.5 hours marinade and rest
- Cook Time : 20 minutes
- Active Time : approximately 60 minutes
Ingredients
For 2 people
- 350-400gms boneless chicken thigh fillets. You can use Breast meat as well.
For the marinade
- 6 Garlic cloves
- 1/2" knob of Ginger
- 3 green chilies (seeds and all)
- 100 gms of coriander (leaves and stems)
- 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
- 3-4 teaspoons of water
- 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
- Prepare the marinade - take all the marinade ingredients (except the water) and grind them in a liquidiser or a spice grinding jar.
- The marinade should be a thick paste, so use some of the water only to help the grinding of ingredients.
- Once done - it should be a bright vibrant green.
- Coat all the fillets with the marinade, you should have a generous layer across the fillets, not thick, but ensure complete coverage
- Once done, rest the fillets covered in the fridge for at least 3 hours. I suggest using a glass or similar non-reactive container.
- To prepare the breading season the bread crumbs, and the plain flour with a little salt
- Beat up the eggs so it is a thick liquid, but not frothy.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge
- 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.
- Dip the chicken in the egg and then in the crumbs.
- 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.
- 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
- Use a sufficiently large skillet to cook 2 fillets at one time with about an inch and a half of space around each fillet
- The chicken should be shallow fried, so use enough oil to fill the skillet to the half height of the fillet’s thickness
- Heat up the oil on medium heat, till when you drop in a bread cube, it gently starts bubbling.
- Put in the fillets and cook till one side is golden flip over and cook the other side till it reaches the same colour.
- Pull out and let rest on absorbent paper
- Prepare the other fillets in the same way.
- 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
- If you want a lighter breading, don’t double dip, but stick a bit more crumbs in the first round
- Don’t let the oil get too hot or the crumbs will burn and the fish will be raw.
Eat in good health!