FRIED CHICKEN with a lemongrass soy marinade
© 2016 All rights reserved by Norman & Janet Van Aken
This is a fairly complex recipe but the results are well worth it. It calls for two steps to create deep flavor before you ever reach for the buttermilk. Note that you make a Lemongrass-Soy-Syrup. A portion of that goes into a marinade. But the remainder is free to be used to drizzle on your hot fried chicken like one might do with honey if in that mood. But this one will be a lot more exotic.
Yield: Serves 2-4
1) chicken, cleaned and cut up into 8-10 pieces, for frying
For the Lemongrass-Soy Syrup:
Yield: 1 1/4 Cup once reduced down to where the consistency is good.
7 Tablespoons sake
5 Tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
7 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon minced ginger
3 Tablespoons of finely lemongrass, inner parts
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 Teaspoon Scotch bonnet chilies, stemmed, seeded and minced
Combine all and reduce to a ‘honey like’ consistency.
Strain through a strainer to remove the solids.
For the Marinade: (Yields 1 1/2 + Cups)
3/4 Cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 Cup ponzu
1/4 Cup garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 Cup peeled and finely chopped ginger
Mix this marinade in a bowl with a whisk to dissolve the sugar. Now add in the rest of the ingredients and stir. Add in 6 Tablespoons (only!) of the Lemongrass-Soy Syrup now.
Marinate the cut up chicken overnight (if possible) or about 6 hours in the marinade in the refrigerator. When ready … drain off and discard the marinade.
For the Buttermilk and the Flour “Dredge”:
Enough buttermilk to submerge the chicken, allow 2 1/2 Cups for the average bird
3 Cups AP flour, (I would rather have plenty of flour than not enough when I dredge).
4 Cups of cooking oil, as preferred, amount can vary. You want to oil to come up to about 1 inch from the bottom of the pan you are using.
Place the soy marinated chicken in the buttermilk and allow it to soak in there at least 4 hours. (Overnight is fine too). When ready put the flour in a large bowl or pan with enough room to work. Lift the chicken out of the buttermilk letting the excess drop off through a wide colander into the sink. Discard the buttermilk. Now lay the chicken in the flour working one piece at a time. Push it around in the flour well to evenly coat the pieces. I like the word ‘dredge’ in that it conveys a sense of deeply and thoroughly coating the chicken. Take each piece of the flour dusted chicken and then lay it on a plate or, even better if you can, a wire rack. It allows for air to circulate around the chicken when on the rack. That helps the crispy factors. This can be done ahead of time and kept refrigerated. Repeat until all of the chicken is coated. I like to sprinkle on a bit more flour just before frying, especially if any ‘balding spots’ appear just before adding the chicken pieces to the hot oil.
When you are ready to cook heat a fryer or 12-inch frying pan to 375 degrees with your cooking oil.
When the oil is ready add in the chicken piece by piece with tongs skin side down to start. Drop the chicken away from you as you do this .. and gently please. Start with the larger pieces. The temperature will drop. It ideally will be at 315-325 degrees throughout the cooking process. To start cook covering the pan with a ‘splatter screen’ if you have one. Turn the pieces over after about 5 minutes and continue. The splatter screen method is the one I favor over a non-see-through lid. I am more secure knowing I can keep my eye on hot bubbling fat! Do not crowd the bird. Cook in two batches if need be.
Cook about 20 minutes turning the pieces from time to time. Remove the chicken when it has reached a deep golden brown and an interior temperature of 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Place on a wire rack set up with a pan under to catch any oil drips until ready to serve. It’s best to let the chicken sit about 10 minutes to let it reach a good ‘resting’ interior temp as well as texture.
Note: The kind of frying here is termed ‘shallow frying’, (versus deep frying). The chicken ‘peeks’ above the fat line burbling away. The key to great frying is a steady temperature. You need to start high with temp as soon as you drop that chicken in…it drops the temperature sharply when the raw chicken first goes in. But then it falls into the zone that makes for even cooking … as long as you keep the dial tuned to the right place. An ‘instant read thermometer’ is the tool to have for this. Don’t make the mistake of sticking the thermometer in the meat over and over as it denatures the crust. The crispy crust is a marker of great fried chicken. The primary marinade which has dramatic power is what makes this a chicken to remember.
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