Chicken Broast
Brined, yogurt-marinated chicken in a double-dredged, peppery flour crust, fried until deep gold and crisp. It's the Pakistani takeaway favourite, made in an ordinary deep pot at home.
Ingredients
Equipment: Deep heavy-bottomed pot or kadhai, kitchen thermometer, wire rack, large bowls, shallow trays for dredging, slotted spoon or tongs
Method
Pat the chicken dry. Stir the salt and sugar into the cold water until dissolved, add the chicken and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Lift the chicken out of the brine and pat very dry with kitchen paper. Discard the brine.
In a large bowl mix the yogurt, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, soy sauce, chilli powder, white pepper, black pepper, paprika and salt. Add the chicken and rub the marinade in well, including under the skin where you can.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. For deeper flavour, leave it overnight, but then reduce the lemon juice slightly so the meat does not turn mushy.
Whisk the flour, cornflour, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, chilli flakes, black pepper and salt in a shallow tray. In a second tray whisk the eggs with the milk.
Shake excess marinade off each piece. Press it into the flour, dip it in the egg mixture, then press it into the flour again, packing on a thick, shaggy coat. Place on a wire rack.
Rest the coated chicken for 15 minutes so the crust sets and does not fall off in the oil.
Heat the oil in a deep pot to 160°C. The oil should be no more than half the depth of the pot. Keep the heat medium so the temperature stays steady.
Carefully lower in 4 pieces, leaving space between them. Fry for 15 to 16 minutes, turning every few minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the thickest part reads 74°C with no pink juices.
Lift out onto a clean wire rack, not kitchen paper, so the underside stays crisp. Bring the oil back to 160°C and fry the second batch the same way.
Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before serving so the juices settle and the crust firms up.
Cooking tips
- Pat the chicken dry after brining and shake off extra marinade. Wet chicken makes a patchy, soggy crust.
- Use a thermometer. Oil under 150°C makes greasy chicken, and oil over 175°C browns the crust before the meat cooks through.
- Cut chicken breasts in half, or use smaller pieces. Big pieces can burn outside before the centre reaches 74°C.
- Do not crowd the pot. Too many pieces drop the oil temperature and the coating turns heavy.
Substitutions
- Use buttermilk instead of yogurt in the marinade.
- Swap the soy sauce for 1 tsp extra salt and 1 tsp vinegar.
- Replace half the plain flour with rice flour for a lighter, crunchier crust.
- Use boneless chicken thighs for quicker frying, about 8 to 10 minutes per batch.
Serve with
Serve hot with French fries, a soft bun or naan, coleslaw, ketchup and a quick garlic mayo (4 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 grated garlic clove, a squeeze of lemon and black pepper). Chilli garlic sauce goes well too.
Storage
Cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Uncooked coated chicken should not be stored; fry it the same day.
Reheating
Reheat on a rack in a 200°C oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or in an air fryer at 180°C for 8 to 10 minutes, until hot all the way through and crisp. Avoid the microwave, which softens the crust.
Nutrition per serving, estimated
Not shown for this recipe because it can’t be estimated reliably (for example, oil absorbed during deep frying varies a lot).
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