BUTTERMILK fried chicken with spicy corn and a crunchy coleslaw is an American classic that’s perfect to warm you up on a winter’s day.
Ingredients
600ml buttermilk.
2 tbsp sea salt.
2 tbsp Tabasco sauce.
8 free-range chicken thighs or drumsticks, skin-on.
400g plain flour.
2 tsp cayenne pepper.
4 tsp mustard powder.
2 tbsp celery salt.
4 large free-range eggs, beaten.
2 litres sunflower or groundnut oil for deep-frying, plus extra for oiling for the lime and chilli corn.
4 sweetcorn cobs, blanched for two minutes in boiling water, then drained.
50g butter.
Finely grated zest and juice of a lime.
Pinch of chilli flakes.
For the slaw
1/4 red cabbage, very finely sliced.
2 large carrots, shredded.
1/2 red onion, very finely sliced.
1/2 fennel bulb, shredded.
2 tsp mayonnaise.
2 tbsp soured cream.
1 tbsp Dijon mustard.
1 tsp caster sugar.
Method
1. Mix the buttermilk, salt and Tabasco in a large, non-metallic bowl. Add the chicken pieces – make sure they’re completely coated, cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for at least two hours or up to overnight.
2. Take the marinated chicken out of the buttermilk and shake off any excess liquid. Mix the flour, cayenne, mustard powder and celery salt in a bowl, season well and toss the chicken in it. Dip them one by one in the beaten eggs, then back into the flour, and shake off any excess.
3. Half-fill a deep saute pan with the oil and heat until it reaches 160 degrees Celsius. Deep-fry the chicken in batches for 8-10 minutes until golden and crisp. Keep warm in a low oven while you cook the rest.
4. Mix together all the ingredients for the slaw, then taste and season. Set aside. Heat a griddle pan until very hot, oil the corn cobs and cook on the griddle for 5-8 minutes until lightly charred. Halve, then dot with the butter, squeeze over the lime juice and sprinkle with the zest, chilli flakes and plenty of sea salt. Serve the chicken with the slaw and corn.
