Southern fried chicken with garlic butter, fried potatoes and bread
Soul food of the highest order – spiced fried chicken drumsticks with soft white bread and garlicky butter fried potatoes.
Ingredients
For the bread
- 500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 300ml warm water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5g dried yeast
For the southern fried chicken
- 8 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
- 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
- 150g/5½oz panko breadcrumbs, or dried breadcrumbs
- 2 lemons, zest only
- 1½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1½ tsp garlic salt
- 1½ tsp dried thyme
- 1½ tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
For the garlic butter and potatoes
Method
For the bread, place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well with your hands to form a soft dough, then tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough is very elastic. (Alternatively place into a kitchen mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix until soft and elastic.)
Place into a bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to rise for one hour.
Lightly oil a 1kg/2lb loaf tin.
When the dough has doubled in size, uncover the dough and knock back with a couple of light kneads.
Cover the dough with a tea towel and leave to rest on the work surface for five minutes.
Uncover the dough and lightly flatten it into a rectangle, roughly the width of the loaf tin. Roll the dough up into a cylinder and place into the tin, seam side down, tucking the ends underneath.
Set aside in a warm place, covered with a clean tea towel, to rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 210C/190C Fan/Gas 7.
Place the tin in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes until golden-brown.
Remove and cool in the tin for 10 minutes before tipping out and allowing to cool to room temperature.
For the southern fried chicken, heat a deep fat fryer to 170C/320F and the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. (CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
Place the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, cayenne, garlic salt, thyme, oregano, pepper and sea salt flakes into a large bowl and mix until well combined.
Cut three deep slashes into the flesh of each chicken drumstick. Then dip each drumstick into the beaten egg.
Dip the chicken into the breadcrumb mixture and toss to coat well, pressing the breadcrumbs into the chicken.
Carefully lower a few pieces of chicken into the fat fryer and fry until golden brown and crisp – about 5-10 minutes – turning several times, so all parts will have been submerged in the oil.
Transfer to a baking tray and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until completely cooked through.
For the garlic butter and potatoes, heat a little of the butter with the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the sliced potatoes and fry over a medium heat until softened and golden brown.
Remove the potatoes with a fish slice and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.
Add the garlic to the pan and fry gently for a couple of minutes. Then add the rest of the butter and heat until melted.
Stir in the flat leaf parsley and season well with salt and black pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
Place a couple of drumsticks onto each serving plate, pile some fried potato alongside then drizzle the garlic butter over the top. Serve with a chunk of bread.
