MONDAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.
And I am back with a BRAND NEW RECIPE.
First of all – this recipe is DEF not Whole 30 approved – however, its summer time and I feel like a fried chicken sandwich is V appropriate.
As always, I had to Indian-ify this recipe – I think I have adopted this word now. Should I try and get it submitted to the Webster dictionary? I mean, it’s a thing now. Don’t you think?
anyways.
Just like BBQ (check out my vindaloo ribs here), fried chicken always reminds me of summer. It’s a dish you can eat on a hot day and not feel totally weighed down + you can eat it standing up at a party without a plate, or take it to the park and enjoy a picnic without worrying about making a total mess.
Since I love combing Indian flavors with traditionally non-Indian dishes I thought fried chicken would be an awesome way to highlight them.
I used a traditional buttermilk brine to keep the bird moist but infused it with some of my favorite chicken curry spices like garlic, turmeric and cumin.
DISCLAIMER: If you don’t brine your fried chicken, you’re doing it wrong.
sorry not sorry.
A brine adds a BUNCH of flavor and keeps the meat super juicy and tender + it takes like zero time to prepare, so just do it, k?
(ok, I won’t be so bossy – if you don’t use a brine, educate me! I would love to know why and what you do instead.)
A lot of southern fried chicken sandwiches I have had either came topped with some type of slaw or bread and butter pickles. I am a huge fan of pickles and think they bring a nice briny taste to anything they are put on.
Instead of using a classic, dare I say, American style pickle, in this recipe I have opted for an Indian style achaar carrot pickle. In India, most pickles are made from a variety of vegetables and fruits and often do not include vinegar as part of the pickling solution.
The carrot pickle has a touch of spice and a nice zing from the asafetida (hing), which is slightly bitter an acidic.
Finally, no chicken sandwich is complete without a little sauce action! I love me some avocado cilantro dressing, so I opted to ditch the olive oil and add some yogurt to make a raita.
It’s light, cool and refreshing to help kick back some of that HEAT.
I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
As always, if you make the recipe take a quick picture and tag me in it (@sweetandmasala, IG & FB) or send me an e-mail (sweetandmasala@gmail.com).
I LOVE hearing from you guys!
Have a great week!
Xx
K
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Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 6 pieces boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 cups buttermilk or enough to completely cover the chicken
- 2 tbsp. cumin powder
- 3 tbsp. sea salt
- 2 tsp. turmeric
- 2 Thai chilies sliced into thin rounds
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch piece of ginger minced
- Peanut oil enough to fry
- Rolls or buns of your choice
- Pea shoots for garnish
For the Dredge
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- Salt to taste
- AP Flour enough to cover allof chicken
- 2 tsp. tabasco or other hot sauce
- 1 tsp. coriander powder
- 1 tsp. cumin powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
For the Carrot Pickle
- 5 medium carrots
- 1½ tsp. salt
- 1½ tsp. black mustard seeds coarsely ground
- 1 tsp. tsp. chili powder
- ½ tsp. turmeric
- 1/8 tsp. asafetida
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. mustard oil
For the Avocado Raita
- 1 avocado pitted and smashed smooth
- 2 tbsp. yogurt
- 2 tbsp. cilantro minced fine
- 1 green chili thai serrano or jalapeno depending on your spice level
- 2 tsp. Chaat masala
- 1 tsp. cumin powder
- ½ lemon juiced
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp. black mustard seeds coarsely ground optional
Ingredients
For the Chicken
For the Dredge
For the Carrot Pickle
For the Avocado Raita
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Instructions
For the Chicken
- In a gallon Ziploc bag add all ingredients under “for the chicken,” except buns, oil and pea shoots. Mix well and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours up to 24.
- Combine 1 cup buttermilk, 1 egg and tabasco into a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- In another large bowl add flour, salt, coriander, garlic and cumin powder. Mix well. Taste mix for seasonings and adjust (should be very flavorful).
- Remove chicken from fridge and discard brine. Dredge chicken in flour, then buttermilk mixture, then back into the flour. Let sit on a wire rack for 15 minutes prior to cooking.
- While the floured pieces are resting, heat peanut oil in a cast iron skillet to 350 degrees using an instant thermometer. Do not fill more than halfway with oil to prevent splattering.
- Fry the chicken for 7-8 minutes, or until cooked through, flipping over halfway. Work in batches if necessary as to not overcrowd the pan. The chicken internal temperature should read 160- 165˚. The chicken should be golden brown and crispy.
- Drain on a wire rack.
- Toast buns in a skillet or the oven.
- To assemble, spread the raita on the bottom of the bun. Add the chicken, carrot pickle and pea shoots.
- Enjoy!
For the Carrot Pickle
- Add all ingredients, except the oil, in a bowl and mix well. Keep aside.
- Heat the mustard oil in a small pan over low heat until warm. Add it to the carrot mixture and mix well.
- Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.
For the Avocado Raita
- Mix together all ingredient under “for the avocado raita,” until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Recipe Notes
The carrot pickle can last for up to a month in the fridge in an air tight container. To get extra crispy chicken take 2 tbsp. of the buttermilk dredge mixture and mix into the flour to get little nibs that will stick on to the chicken to make it extra crispy. You can put the floured chicken pieces back in to the fridge for a few hours in order to harden the flour to get it extra crispy. However, be sure to bring the chicken to room temperature prior to cooking so that it cooks evenly. Instead of peanut oil you can use another type of neutral oil such as canola. To make the raita slightly more traditional, add in grated and drained cucumber.
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16 comments
This sounds amazing! So much is going into this I can literally just taste all the flavours now! Id love to turn it veggie so I can have it.
Yes! You could def replace the chicken with tofu!
This sandwich has beautiful flavors that anyone will appreciate! I love that it’s easy to put together. I’m curious about that carrot pickle and I’d love to give it a try! Thanks for the recipe too.
Alison, I hope you get a chance to try. Let me know your thoughts once you do.
Now this really does sound fantastic. I love the combination of flavours used here with the raita to help counteract the heat.
This looks really lovely indeed. What a lovely idea for a recipe. I am a veggie but a simple swap out of the chicken and i could totally go for this too!
Yes! Swap out the chicken for maybe fried tofu? That might be nice!
Wow. this is so mouthwatering and delicious looking. I need to try this recipe out at home. thank you for the tips 🙂 I can imagine, there will be a clash of wonderful combination of flavours
I really like the sound of this recipe. Chicken dishes are my favourite. I will be trying my hands on the recipe.
I love fried chicken and this recipe just made me really hungry!! The combination with spicy carrots looks perfect, may serve this on my garden party next week!
i am so trying this over the weekend ! any idea where i can find asafetida? it does not sound like anything i have in the kitchen
Yes! You can get it any Indian or Asian specialty store. Whole Foods May have it. It’s alsp known as Hing, if that makes it easier to find 🙂
I love fried chicken and I love it spicy! Oh! This just made my mouth water! Yum! I’ll have to try that buttermilk brine! I love moist chicken!
I love me some fried chicken! Unfortunately I am super sensitive to spicy foods and have to avoid them. I wonder if I remove all the spicy ingredients if it would still taste good….?
Looks absolutely delicious! This looks like a must try that my whole family would love!
I love hot chilly stuff and adore the Indian pickles, specially the lime and mango ones. This is just mouthwatering