*DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS.
Sometimes, just sometimes, the diet has to be thrown out the window and these fried chicken sliders are the perfect way to say ‘F you diet, something better has cropped up…!’
Deep Fried Mars Bar – is that a thing?
I was never really into fried chicken until I moved to NYC. I guess the only deep fried thing we ate growing up in Ireland was potato! While living in America I came to experience the obsession with fried chicken. Hell they give the Scots with their deep fried mars bar (which, by the way, is oddly nice…. although I did eat it after a rake of pints, so who actually knows) a run for their money. Menus in the US are all about fried chicken. From chicken & waffles, chicken & honey, chicken sandwiches to just a good ol’ hunk of deep fried chicken with gravy and mash, they really know how to do it.
If you didn’t guess by now I am ever so slightly partial to a bit of fried chicken myself. Well, as much as my waistline will allow. For me the key is the bath before hand. No, not the one I take when I am trying to escape the wife and kid with a 6 pack of beer (classy I know). I’m talking about the one we give to those beautiful thighs we can’t wait to wrap our hands around 😉
NYC & my fried chicken obsession
When I worked in PUBLIC restaurant in NYC they were experimenting with opening up an upmarket burger joint. Let me tell you, boy did they succeed with their offerings. I had read that fried chicken is all about the buttermilk brine. Truthfully I had never really tried or paid much attention to it until I was “forced” to eat chef’s fried chicken sandwich as we rolled it out on our cocktail bar menu for guest feedback.
OMG, after a long day on my feet in the restaurant, there was no better end to the day than ordering 2 fried chicken sandwiches at midnight and washing them down with a few beers. Needless to say my belt buckle made a new friend with the next hole on the belt!! So having eaten a little too much fried chicken in NYC. Having watched our chefs prepare it all the time. And OBVIOUSLY having watched 1 too many episodes of Triple D (diner’s, drive-ins & dives), I embarked on a fried chicken dish of my own.
Oh, you may be wondering why fried chicken sliders and not a big assed sandwich? Well, one word – patience! I generally have a lot of it but sometimes when I get close to the finish line I just want to eat it there and then! Cutting the thighs smaller and serving them as fried chicken sliders means a faster cooking time. Not to mention I munch down more than 1 and not feel totally stuffed and fatty. Check out my aioli recipe here too for the perfect sauce (just add a little sriracha to spice it up!)
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Ingredients
- 3 chicken thighs - cut in 1/2 skinless & boneless
- 250 ml buttermilk
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 cup flour
- 6 slider buns
- 1 litre canola oil approx
Slaw
- 1 carrot
- 1 spring onion
- 1/4 red cabbage
- 1/4 pineapple
- 1 handful coriander
- .5 lime juiced
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- aioli
- 1 tsp sriracha add to aioli recipe
Instructions
- Mix buttermilk, salt, garlic powder, sriracha & thyme together in zip lock bag. Add precut chicken and leave to soak for minimum 1 hour but up to 24 hours if possible.
- Place flour, salt & pepper into other ziplock bag and one at a time dredge the chicken into flour.
- Place each piece of chicken on a wire rack prior to cooking.
- Heat oil in saute pan to 170c or 350f
- Fry chicken in batches submerged in the oil for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove chicken, season with salt and leave to rest on clean wire rack Slaw
- Shred carrots, spring onion, cabbage and pineapple into matchstick sized pieces. Using a mandoline where appropriate will help you get even cuts but this isn't hugely important.
- Mix in torn coriander leaves, lime juice & rice vinegar
Serving
- Toast slider buns, spread aioli on base of bun.
- Place cooked chicken on top of base of bun. Place slaw on top along with a drizzle of aioli. Put top of bun on and DEVOUR!
Notes
Essential Tools
- chopping board
- sharp knife
- large ziplock bag x 2
- medium sized mixing bowl
- large saute pan or saucepan
- wire rack x 2
Tips/Tricks
- the longer you leave the chicken in the buttermilk the juicer it will be
- don't crowd the pan when cooking chicken as this will lower the temperature of oil and leave you with soggy fried chicken
- using a thermometer to check temperature of oil will help you cook the oil at correct temperature
- when frying chicken you need enough oil to cover the chicken to cook it evenly
This looks incredible! I’ll have to try it soon!
Ok. So you have me laughing at sneaking away to the bath with a six pack. Although, I am partial to the shower beer. It is a thing, you know! Anyways, I grew up with my dad’s southern fried chicken and I have yet to find one that is even close. He used the buttermilk brine, though, so this may be close. We, in the South, are especially obsessed with fried chicken! I didn’t know they had this obsession in the city.
Need to find somewhere that the toddler can’t get to me 😉😉