Crispy Fried Chicken

Homemade fried chicken in my mind was always made using breadcrumbs as the outer layer.  That was the way my mother always did it, that was the way her mother did it and naturally, had always been the way that I did it.  It nearly blew my mind the first time I saw my girlfriend use starch instead of breadcrumbs.  I haven`t made up my mind as to which style I prefer because they both taste pretty darn good.

How to make “Crispy Fried Chicken”

Ingredients

• 3 boneless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• Ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 4 large tablespoons potato starch (alternatively you could use bread crumbs)
• Vegetable oil
• Parsley

Steps to make “Crispy Fried Chicken“

1. Remove the fat and any skin from the chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Season the chicken using ginger juice, soy sauce, sake, sesame oil and some pepper.  Coat the pieces of chicken with potato starch.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan to medium and add the chicken.  Cook for about 1 minute, turn over and cook for another minute.  Remove the chicken temporarily, placing it on a plate with oil paper.  The chicken will continue to cook even on the plate.  The reason behind this method is to make the chicken more tender and juicy on the inside.
3. Lower the heat a little and place the chicken back into the frying pan.  When the chicken is almost cooked, crank the heat up and turn the chicken over once more to crisp.
4. Remove the chicken from the oil, drain well and serve with fresh parsley.

Tip: You don`t need to use a lot of oil, just enough to cover half of the chicken pieces.  By allowing the chicken pieces to “air” while cooking, they will become crispier.

If all is done properly, you should have crispy fried chicken, which is also very tender on the inside.  Enjoy!