Fried Chicken

A golden crunchy crumb coats tender juicy thigh meat for a real finger-licking treat – one batch never seems enough.

500 grams boneless chicken thighs, skin off

½ cup thick, plain yoghurt 2 cloves garlic, crushed juice 1 large lime 1 teaspoon sea salt

1–2 teaspoons hot sauce, eg green tabasco or chipotle or more to taste

Cut the chicken into large bite-sized pieces. You should have about 20 pieces. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl, add the chicken and stir together. Cover and refrigerate for 1–2 hours maximum.

Preheat the oven to 100°C.

To cook vegetable oil, for cooking

½ cup fine semolina ½ cup plain flour ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon each ground cumin and smoked paprika

sea salt and ground pepper

To cook: Heat 6cm of oil in a deep, medium-sized saucepan until a cube of bread dropped into the oil sizzles and is lightly golden in 20 seconds or until it reaches 170°C on a sugar thermometer.

Place all the remaining ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Lift each piece of chicken out of the yoghurt sauce and coat in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.

In batches, so you don’t overcrowd the pan, carefully place in the oil and cook for 4 minutes, turning regularly to cook evenly on both sides (I do 5–6 pieces per batch). Remove and place on paper towels then place in the oven to keep warm.

Repeat with the remaining pieces, ensuring the oil reheats again between batches.

To serve: We served ours with pickled jalapeños and stirred chipotle sauce into mayonnaise for dipping. Serves 4–6