Mains | RecipeTin Eats

African Chicken Curry – Kuku Paka

Nagi — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 05:00:00 +0000

Are you ready to discover the world’s easiest curry?? As in, a real one, made from scratch. Introducing – Kuku Paka! This chicken curry in a tomato coconut spiced sauce tastes like an Indian curry. Except it’s African. And you can get everything from regular grocery stores!

African chicken curry – Kuku Paka

Kuku Paka is an African-Indian coconut chicken curry that’s popular with Indian communities in East African countries such as Kenya and Tanzania. Kuku means chicken in Swahili and Paka means delicious in Punjabi. Fun to say. Delicious to eat!

This is a recipe that’s going to make curry lovers extremely happy because it tastes like a legit Indian curry but it’s much easier to make. No hunting down unusual spices! Just regular pantry ones – cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli – combined with ginger, garlic, coconut milk and canned tomato.

Curry connoisseurs will be dubious. How can it taste legit if you don’t have to run all over town trying to find an obscure spice to make it?? Answer: because millions of Africans can’t be wrong!

Ingredients in Kuku Paka – African chicken curry

Just swing by your regular grocery store and you’ll find everything you need!

The chicken

The sauce gets a lot of flavour from the chicken because it doesn’t use chicken stock. So I really urge you to use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces as they are fattier and juicier so they add more flavour into the sauce. I like to use a mix of thighs and drumsticks, but you could just use one or the other.

However, you can use boneless thighs and breast, though my caveat is that the sauce won’t be quite as flavourful. Directions in recipe notes!

Kuku paka sauce

And here’s everything else you need:

Spices – Cumin, coriander and turmeric for flavour. Chilli or cayenne pepper for spiciness! It’s not a super spicy curry but if you’re concerned about the amount of chilli, reduce or omit then you can add it in at the end, bit by bit.
Onion, ginger and garlic – Aromatic flavour base. I really urge you to use fresh ginger and garlic, but if you’re out and you are determined to still make this, then substitute with 1 teaspoon of powder instead (add with the other spices). I get it, I’ve been there!
Coconut milk – Not all coconut milks are created equal! Economical ones are more water and less coconut. I use Ayam (89% coconut). Low fat coconut milk will work but sauce will be thinner and not as good coconut flavour. You can thicken with a teaspoon of cornflour mixed with splash of water, add with coconut.
Canned tomato – Use crushed or finely diced to ensure it breaks down in the simmer time for this recipe. Also, if you know the brand you use is quite sour (economical brands can tend to be) add a smidge of sugar.
Coriander / cilantro – Some for stirring in, some for garnish. If you’re a coriander hater, substitute with baby spinach or parsley.
Fresh lemon juice – Just a bit, stirred in at the end, to brighten up the sauce a bit. If you don’t have lemon on hand, you can substitute with apple cider vinegar.

How to make Kuku Paka (African chicken curry)

Traditionally, the chicken is char grilled before simmering in the sauce which adds extra flavour. To keep this Monday-night friendly, I’ve opted to pan sear. If you fire up your grill for the chicken, I’ll be impressed!!

Season and sear – Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, sear to brown the skin, then remove onto a tray. The skin side of the thighs will take around 4 to 5 minutes, then just cook the flesh side for 1 minute to seal the surface. As for the drumsticks, just do the best you can! I brown 3 sides, about 2 minutes on each side.
The chicken will still be raw of the inside which is fine because they finish cooking in the sauce.
Sauté aromatics and spices – Next, give the onion a head start on the sautéing before adding the ginger and garlic. Once the onion is softened, add the spices and cook them for 30 seconds. This steps makes the flavour in the spices bloom!

Sauce – Add the coconut milk, tomato and salt, then stir.
Return chicken into the pot, including any juices on the tray. Arrange the chicken so it is submerged as best as possible, though if some is poking out that’s ok as it will steam-cook. Also, the chicken will shrink a bit as it cooks so they will fit better.

Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on, then 20 minutes with the lid off which will allow the sauce to reduce and thicken. Give it a stir every now and then to ensure the base isn’t catching.
Finish & serve – Just before serving, stir in the fresh lemon juice and half the coriander leaves. Serve over rice, garnished with the remaining coriander leaves!

How to serve Kuku Paka

A sauce this good demands rice for soaking! Basmati rice is recommended, though you can use any plain rice, faux rice or even garlic rice (IMAGINE THAT!!).

Then to take it over the top, add a side of flatbreads for dunking / mopping. Homemade would be great. But I’ve opted for frozen store bought that’s actually Malaysian roti, not African. But that flaky buttery flatbread is 100% at home here, as it was with the Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup (this roti is going global!)

It too comes from regular grocery stores and I love that it’s cooked from frozen in a pan. And flakes = extra sauce mopping abilities.

Roti or not, I really hope you try this recipe. It’s astoundingly good! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

African coconut chicken curry – Kuku Paka

Recipe video above. Are you ready to discover the world's easiest curry?? As in, a real one, made from scratch. Introducing – Kuku Paka! This chicken curry in a tomato coconut spiced sauce tastes like an Indian curry. Except it's African, and you can get everything you need from your regular grocery store.

For a strictly traditional version, sear the chicken over charcoal for chargrilled flavour before adding into the sauce. To make this Monday-night-friendly, I've just pan-seared. Serves 4 hearty appetites or 5 to 6 regular servings.

Course Main

Cuisine african

Keyword african curry, Chicken Curry, Coconut Curry

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings – 6

Calories 631cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Seasoned chicken:

4 chicken thigh fillets , skin-on and bone-in (~250g/8oz each) (Note 2)
4 chicken drumsticks (~150g / 5oz each) (Note 2)
3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

The curry:

2 tbsp coconut oil (or vegetable, canola or other plain oil) (Note 1)
1 onion , finely diced
3 garlic cloves , finely minced
2 tsp ginger , finely minced
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tsp pure chilli powder or cayenne pepper , reduce or omit to taste (Note 3)
400g / 14 oz coconut milk , full-fat (Note 4)
400g / 14 oz crushed canned tomato
1 1/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
2 tbsp lemon juice (sub apple cider vinegar)
1/2 cup (lightly packed) coriander/cilantro leaves (sub parsley or baby spinach, or omit)

Serving:

Basmati rice or other rice, and/or flatbreads or roti (pictured, Note 5)

Instructions

Season chicken – Pat chicken dry using paper towels then sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Brown chicken – Heat oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Add the thighs, skin-side down, and cook for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Turn and cook the other side for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate (it will still be raw inside). Then brown the drumsticks as best you can. I do 3 sides, 2 minutes each side. Transfer to the plate.
Sauté aromatics – Turn heat down to medium high. Add the onion and cook for 1 minute until softened. Add garlic and ginger, cook for 30 seconds. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli. Stir for 30 seconds.
Sauce – Add coconut milk, tomato and salt. Stir, then return chicken into the pot (including juices on the plate). Submerge chicken as best you can.
Simmer 30 min – Once the sauce comes to a simmer, reduce the heat so it’s bubbling gently. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the base doesn't catch.
Finish & serve – Stir in lemon and half of the coriander. Lade into bowls and serve garnished with the rest of the coriander!

Notes

1. Coconut oil will give this extra coconut flavour, but you can use regular oil.

2. Chicken thighs and drumsticks are best because they stay juicy in the sauce simmer time required. Boneless thighs and breast will work but sauce flavour won’t be as good (see Ingredients section in post), but you can use them. Whole boneless thighs – sear per recipe then add back in for last 10 min of sauce simmer time. Breast – cut into bite size pieces, simmer only 5 min.

3. Pure chilli powder – not to be confused with US chili powder which is a spice mix. Pure chilli powder is spicy!
Control spiciness – just leave the cayenne / chilli out and stir in bit by bit at the end.

4. Coconut milk – Not all coconut milks are created equal! Economical ones are more water and less coconut. I use Ayam (89% coconut). Low fat coconut milk will work but sauce will be thinner and not as good coconut flavour. You can thicken with a teaspoon of cornflour mixed with splash of water, add with coconut.

5. Roti – I am a little obsessed with store bought frozen rotis, the flaky flatbreads that can be cooked from frozen! Readily available at regular grocery stores these days.

6. Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings, excluding roti, rice etc.

Nutrition

For fellow curry lovers

Chickpea Curry with Potato (Chana Aloo Curry)

Life of Dozer

Extreme warm weather over the weekend! So Dozer spent most of Sunday afternoon in this position:

Then he turned around and that was it, he was done for the day. 😂

The post African Chicken Curry – Kuku Paka appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Calabrian Fish Ragu Pasta

Nagi — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 05:09:15 +0000

This is a fish pasta in a richly flavoured fish ragu pasta sauce. It’s a great recipe to stretch fish further and cook it in a unique way that’s outrageously delicious with big, bold Italian Calabrian spices!

Calabrian Fish Ragu Pasta

I feel like the name of today’s recipe requires explanation.

I’m calling this a ragu because it’s stewy and braisy and has beautiful depth of flavour even though it hasn’t been slow cooked for hours like my Shredded Beef Ragu. Because, NEWSFLASH, it doesn’t have to be slow cooked for hours to be called a ragu!

As for the Calabrian part of the name? It’s because the seasoning is inspired by the flavours of Calabria: chillies and particularly nduja, the intensely-flavoured salami paste from the region that’s rising in popularity in the foodie world. Stuffed in focaccias, dolloped on pizzas, mixed into pasta sauces, this fiery spread has big, bold flavours and a little bit goes a long way.

So, as you might have guessed, this is a fish pasta that is big on flavour. I love that it tastes exotic and restaurant-y but it’s economical and easy!

Fish tossed in a bold Calabrian spice mix

Ingredients in this Fish Ragu Pasta

Here’s what you need to make this.

1. The fish

Key to this pasta is the spice mix for the fish. As mentioned earlier, the flavours in this fish pasta are based on the seasoning on nduja which is a type of salami. So, think – fennel and paprika with a hit of spiciness. Bold is the word that comes to mind!

Best fish for this pasta

Any firm white fish fillets (skinless and boneless) can be used in this recipe. Here are some suggestions: snapper, John or Silver dory, barramundi, bream, tilapia, pollock, cod, flathead, perch, ling, bass, basa, hake, hoki, monkfish (pricey here, so I reserve for other uses like this recipe). If using frozen, thaw thoroughly and pat dry before using.

I recommend avoiding:

Fish that dry out easily when cooked – Like swordfish, tuna, bonito, kingfish, marlin.
Delicate and thin-filleted fish – Like flounder, sole, plaice, turbot, whiting. The texture of the flesh is a bit too delicate for this type of cooking.
Oily fish – Like sardines or mackerel. A bit too overwhelming, flavours don’t quite match.

The Calabrian spices

Whole fennel and black peppercorns – These are toasted then ground, for maximum flavour impact. I would not ask you to make the effort to toast and grind if I really didn’t believe it was worth it. It is! However, I have substitutions in the recipe notes for ground fennel and pepper, if that’s all you have.
More spices – Nutmeg, paprika, chilli flakes (red pepper flakes). Feel free to dial back the chilli if you’re concerned about spicineess.

2. In the pasta and the sauce

Pasta – Any long strand thinnish pasta is ideal here. I use fettuccine.
Tomato passata – This is pureed, strained pure tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). It’s readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. It costs around the same as canned tomato.
Passata is excellent for making thick, smooth sauces and soups without a long simmer time like required to break down crushed tomato. A regular in my recipes! More on tomato passata here.
Tomato paste – A boost of tomatoey flavour and to help thicken the sauce.
Garlic – Because, garlic. Rarely do savoury recipes happen around here without garlic!
Parsley and parmesan – garnishes. I know parmesan isn’t strictly traditional in Italian fish and seafood pastas. But, it works. We’re not after loads of parmesan cheesiness. It just adds saltiness.

3. pangrattato

Pangrattato is an Italian chunky breadcrumb topping that adds an addictive crunch and flavor to pasta dishes and salads. I particularly like it with this fish ragu as it adds great texture and is a terrific contrast to the soft fish.

Bread – Use a denser bread like sourdough, ciabatta etc which have structure and go really crunchy when toasted. Lightweight sandwich bread is a little too delicate and kind of just dissolves into powder, bypassing the crunch completely. BUT – if sandwich bread is all you have, I’d still go ahead! Or, substitute with panko breadcrumbs.
Oil and salt – To make it crunchy and salty.

How to make fish ragu

As mentioned earlier, this is a ragu but it doesn’t have to be slow cooked for hours! In fact, if you can multi-task, you’ll get this on the table in just over 20 minutes.

1. pangrattato first

Get the pangrattato in the oven first. Toss the bread in olive oil and salt, then bake in a 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced) oven for 10 minutes until crisp all the way through.

2. CALABRIAN SPICED FISH NEXT

Next up, toast the spices and coat the fish in the tasty flavours.

Toast the fennel and black peppercorns for a couple of minutes until it smells fragrant and you can see the fennel is lightly browned. Use a large deep skillet or pot, something large enough to toss the pasta with the sauce later. No oil required at this stage.
Grind the spices using a mortar and pestle, or a grinder.
Coat the fish with the ground fennel and peppercorns, nutmeg, chilli flakes, sugar, salt, olive oil plus the tomato paste.
Once coated, set aside while you prep the other ingredients. No need to marinate.

3. MAKING THE PASTA

The pasta sauce takes around the same time to cook as the pasta so you can make both at the same time.

Boil pasta for the time per the packet directions minus 1 minute. It should be al dente – cooked through but still a slight firm but. It will soften more as it cooks through more when tossed with the pasta sauce.
Scoop out about 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water. We will need this for the pasta tossing at the end.
Cook fish – Sauté the garlic until golden, then add the fish (scrape out every bit of the paste!) and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the tomato passata and simmer for 5 minutes.
The fish ragu sauce – This is what it looks like before the tossing process starts. Notice how the fish pieces are still whole at this stage. Some of the pieces will flake and break when we toss with the pasta, some will stay mostly whole. I find that texture the most appealing for me.
What we don’t want is for all the fish to disintegrate. It’s so much nicer to have fish chunks so you know you’re eating fish rather than unidentifiable mush!

Add reserved pasta cooking water and simmer for a further 2 minutes. The pasta cooking water has starch in it which makes the sauce thicken so it clings to the pasta strand. You will see in the next step!
Toss with pasta – Then add the pasta and most of the parlsey. Toss, still on the stove, for 1 minute or until the pasta strands are stained red and all the fish ragu is clinging to the pasta strands rather than pooled in the pan.
If the pasta gets too thick (excessively enthusiastic tossing, heat too high are typical causes), just add a splash of extra pasta cooking water to thin it out and give it another good toss!

Now, it’s ready for serving. Twirl into bowls and cover liberally with a shower of the crunchy pangrattato and finish with parmesan!

Matters of serving fish ragu

As with any pasta, this fish ragu is best served and eaten piping hot and fresh, straight out of the pan while the pasta is sticky and slippery and saucy. As it sits around, the pasta continues to absorb the liquid, drying it out so it’s thick and stodgy.

So, whenever you are making any pasta, be sure to have the hungry hoards at the table, ready to twirl and slurp the moment you bring the pasta bowls to the table, for maximum enjoyment!

Really hope you love this as much as I do. The fish ragu is divine as it is. But with that crunchy pangrattato? It’s sheer perfection. Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Calabrian Fish Ragu

Recipe video above. This is a fish pasta in a richly spiced fish ragu pasta sauce. The spice mix is based on njuda, the bold flavoured spreadable Calabrian salami paste that's rising in popularity in the restaurant scene! It's a great way to make fish stretch further, cooked in a unique way that's outrageously delicious with big, bold Southern Italian flavours.

No stale bread? Use panko instead. See notes. 3 servings? I know it's a little odd, but the spice mix didn't scale down neatly to make pasta for 2! (3/8 tsp nutmeg?!). Leftovers are always delicious.

Course Mains

Cuisine Italian-esque

Keyword fish pasta, fish ragu

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Servings

Calories 714cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Calabrian spiced fish:

250g/ 8 oz firm white fish fillets , skinless, boneless, cut into 2 cm / 0.8″ cubes (barramundi, snapper, cod – Note 1)
3/4 tsp black peppercorns (Note 2 for ground option)
1 tsp fennel seeds (Note 2 for ground option)
1 tbsp smoked paprika (sub ordinary paprika)
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), feel free to reduce/omit
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp caster / superfine sugar
3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste

Pasta:

250g/8 oz linguine pasta (or fettuccine, spaghetti)
1 tbsp cooking / kosher salt , for pasta water
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves , finely minced
3/4 cup tomato passata (US: tomato puree, Note 3)

Garnish:

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Parmesan cheese , finely grated, for serving

Pangrattato

1 cup stale bread like sourdough, ciabatta , crusts removed, torn/chopped into irregular 1cm/0.4" pieces (Note 4)
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch cooking / kosher salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Toast & grind – Preheat a large deep skillet or pot over medium heat (Note 5), no oil. Toast black peppercorn and fennel for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until it smells fragrant and the fennel is lightly browned. Transfer to a mortar and use a pestle and grind to a powder while still hot.
Coat fish – Transfer to a medium bowl with remaining Calabrian spiced fish ingredients. Stir well with a spatula until combined. Set aside.
Cook pasta – Boil 3 litres of water with the cooking salt. Cook pasta per packet directions minus 1 minute. Just before draining, scoop out 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water. Then drain in a colander and leave until ready to use.
Calabrian fish ragu – While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in the same skillet you used to toast the fennel on medium high. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the fish. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Add tomato passata. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and simmer for 2 minutes.
Toss pasta – Add pasta and 3/4 of the parsley. Toss for 1 minute to coat the pasta with the sauce. Most of the fish will break up into flakes but some will remain in larger chunks – this is good! We don't want disintegrated mush, nor giant chunks. Once the pasta turns red and the sauce and fish bits are clinging to the pasta straws, remove from heat and divide between bowls immediately.
Serve – Sprinkle with pasta, pangrattato and parmesan. Eat immediately!

Pangrattato:

Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced).
Toss bread, oil and salt in a small bowl. Spread on a tray and bake for 10 minutes, tossing at the 5 minute mark, or until light golden and fully crisp.

Notes

1. Firm white fish fillets – Works best with fairly firm white fish fillets that are not too thick. Some suggestions: snapper, John or Silver dory, barramundi, bream, tilapia, pollock, cod, flathead, perch, ling, bass, basa, hake, hoki. If using frozen, thaw thoroughly and pat dry before using.

I recommend avoiding:

Fish that dry out easily when cooked – Like swordfish, tuna, bonito, kingfish, marlin.
Delicate and thin-filleted fish – Like flounder, sole, plaice, turbot, whiting. The texture of the flesh is a bit too delicate for this type of cooking.
Oily fish – Like sardines or mackerel. A bit too overwhelming, flavours don’t quite match.

2. Grinding whole spices will give the best flavour in this recipe, it really makes a difference here. I only emphasise this when it matters, I will use pre-ground whenever I can! But you can use pre-ground if that’s all you’ve got. 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper and 1/2 tsp fennel powder. No toasting, just mix in with other spices.

3. Tomato passata – Pureed, strained pure tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). Readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. Excellent for making thick, smooth sauces. More on tomato passata here.

4. Back up – use 1/2 cup panko instead, toast for shorter time. If the bread isn’t stale that’s fine too, it’ll take a little longer to go crunchy and is a little harder to cut into small pieces.

5. Cooking vessel needs to be large enough to toss the sauce with the pasta.

6. Recipe reference – inspired by this recipe torn out from the Delicious magazine during a flight. Though, my resulting recipe is very different. Much saucier (good thing), faster (also a good thing) with bolder flavours (that’s just how I roll!).

7. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Warm in microwave with a splash of water and toss well. Store pangrattato in the pantry.

Nutrition per serving assuming 3 servings.

Nutrition

More things to make with fish!

Chilli Lime Fish

Fish Tacos

Sizzling Ginger Steamed Fish

Goan Fish Curry (Indian)

Fish Seasoning (great all-rounder)

Thai Fish Cakes

Homemade Filet-O-Fish (BAKED!!)

Fish Cakes

Fish Fingers recipe

Fish recipes

Life of Dozer

My house needed a major air-out over the weekend after a particularly intense week of spice-heavy cooking, so I left all the doors open all day to create a nice breezeway.

Dozer was put on front door guard duty. I felt totally safe.

The post Calabrian Fish Ragu Pasta appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Henry’s Crispy Fried Chicken Burger

Nagi — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 06:00:00 +0000

KFC, eat your heart out! Our Fried Chicken Burger is way crispier than yours, the chicken is way juicier and it tastes way better. The trick is to mix a bit of marinade into the flour coating – this creates lumps that fries up into an awesome ultra crunchy crust.

Henry’s Ultra Crispy Fried Chicken Burger

Today’s recipe is here courtesy of a young boy named Henry whom I met at a book signing in the NSW regional town of Mudgee. Huddled on the couch of a cosy local book store, he declared his signature dish to be the RecipeTin Fried Chicken. We enthused over how remarkably un-greasy it is and marvelled at how it’s crunchy all over, unlike KFC which we eeewed about how the skin has greasy soggy patches.

Conversation then moved into how we’d use the Fried Chicken to make the BEST fried chicken burger in the world. (Yes, we capitalise it!). We both agreed plain shredded lettuce was better than coleslaw (too rich!), melted cheese was unnecessary (too much!), tomato was optional. and the bun must be super soft.

So here it is. Dedicated to Henry and the town of Mudgee – I present to you, our very best Ultra Crispy Fried Chicken Burger!

Please observe the nubbly, crunchy, craggy surface on the fried chicken!! 🙌🏻

Ingredients

Here’s what you need for homemade Crispy Chicken Burgers.

Chicken brine keeps it juicy!

I use breast because it’s easier to get a nice uniform shape suitable for burgers. It’s marinated in a buttermilk and salt mixture which locks in juices. Essential because breast will cook beyond the ideal internal temperature in the cook time required to make the crust really crispy and golden.

Don’t worry if you don’t have buttermilk, substitute yogurt and milk instead. It works virtually the same!

Chicken breast is my preference for a relatively uniform shape when trimmed to size. However, boneless chicken thighs work as well. Whichever you use, it’s best to pound to even thickness so it cooks through evenly and sits reasonably straight on the burger.
Buttermilk – Known for its marinating qualities so the chicken is really juicy inside once cooked. It’s the traditional marinating ingredient used for Southern Fried Chicken which is the fried chicken recipe used for this burger.
While it’s a common ingredient in the States, it’s more of a speciality baking item here in Australia. But there’s an easy substitute that works virtually the same – just plain yogurt and milk! The acidity and thickness of yogurt diluted with milk results in almost the same consistency as buttermilk, and yogurt is excellent for marinating (proof here!).
Salt – For seasoning and increase the chicken’s juiciness.
Egg – To make the flour crust stick to the chicken.

KFC 11 secret herbs and spices!

The flavour of the fried chicken is a copycat of KFC fried chicken. Flavour wise, it is very similar!

Herbs and spices – No unusual players here, just all the usual suspects! Adjust the cayenne pepper for the amount of spiciness you want. Simply omit if you don’t want spicy at all!
Cornflour/cornstarch and flour – For the coating of the chicken to make it fry up ultra crunchy! Cornflour makes it crunchier than just using flour. So why not just use all cornflour? Because it doesn’t go golden when fried, it stays white. On the other hand, flour coated things fry up into a beautiful golden colour! So by using a blend of the two, we get the best of both worlds – crunchy and golden colour.

Burger fixings

Don’t let anyone tell you what you should or should not have on your burger. Though, if you want a copycat better-than-KFC-Burger experience, here’s what you need!

Soft buns – I use brioche buns because they’re so soft and pillowy, and a little bit sweet like KFC buns. However, you can use any buns you want. (I’d personally avoid ultra chewy / crispy ones though. A little too tough for use in burgers).
Gherkins/pickles – Just your everyday dill pickles, or whatever takes your fancy. Just a little something to cut through the richness and saltiness of everything else going on inside the burger!
Lettuce – Good ole’ iceberg lettuce! Nice and fresh, finely slicing it gives it some decent height and a lovely bed for the crunchy chicken to rest on.
Garlic mayonnaise – KFC doesn’t use garlic mayo, but you and I know that a touch of garlic just makes mayo better. Turns it into aioli, actually!

How to make Crunchy Fried Chicken Burgers

It’s easier than traditional Fried Chicken which is made with bone-in chicken that take longer to fry (~6 to 8 minutes) so you need to be quite accurate with temperature control.

Chicken Burgers, on the other hand, are thinner, boneless pieces and take just 3 to 4 minutes to fry. And because of the shape, you don’t need nearly as much oil.

Pound the chicken to 1cm / 0.4″ even thickness. Use freezer bags, ziplock bags or similar (I use a purpose-made product called “Go-Between”) and a meat mallet, or rolling pin. Pounding is recommended so the chicken cooks through evenly and sits a little straighter on the burger. But if you skipped this step, it wouldn’t be a deal breaker.
Trim the chicken to the size of the buns, or larger, if you want! It will shrink a touch when it cooks but the crunchy nubbly bits add size.

Marinade – Mix the buttermilk, salt and egg. Then add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 3 hours, or up to 24 hours. Don’t go much beyond 24 hours, it actually over marinades and makes the texture of the chicken too much like the cold cut chicken slices you buy at the deli. Still nice, but it does change the chicken texture.
Crunchy coating – Mix together the flour, cornflour/cornstarch and all the spices.

PS There is no spice mix in the marinade because there is a ton in the coating which is where you want a punch of flavour. If it was in the marinade too, then the whole chicken just tastes the same all the way through. The contrast between chicken flavour inside and intense coating is nicer. KFC tastes like ours ie you can’t taste the seasoning inside the chicken, just on the coating.

Marinade flour clumps – This is the trick to the ultra crunchy chicken! Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the marinade into the flour mixture then use your fingers to mix it in. The flour will form little clumps.
When this sticks to the chicken, it fries up into ultra crunchy nubbly bits. This is what makes this chicken so crunchy! See my Fried Chicken recipe for musings and ravings about this method. Thanks Kenji!
Coat the chicken in the flour mixture just prior to frying. Don’t do this in advance and leave it lying around, the chicken will sweat and make the flour soggy.

Look at all those clumps! Express pass to crunchy town!
Fry in oil for 4 minutes or until golden and crunchy, then drain on paper towels.
Cooking vessel & oil amount – You will need 2.5cm / 1″ of oil in whatever cooking vessel you use, so the chicken is elevated off the base and will fry evenly all the way around. A heavy based pot like a dutch oven is ideal for safety, even distribution of heat and also because it retains heat well.
Oil temp – The oil temperature should be 180C/350F. If you don’t have a thermometer (I use a Thermapen) then test by throwing in a small cube of bread. At 180C/350F it should turn golden in 15 seconds. OR stick a bamboo chopstick in and touch the base of the pot – if bubbles immediately rise from floor of pot, oil is hot enough.
Keeping cooked pieces warm – Because the thin pieces of chicken cook in just 4 minutes, you won’t need an oven to keep the cooked pieces warm. Batch 1 will still be hot when you finish batch 2. However if you are scaling up, keep cooked chicken warm in a 50C/125F pre-heated oven on a rack set over a tray (so the underside doesn’t go soggy).
⚠️ Do not touch the chicken for the first 90 seconds, to give the crust a chance to adhere.

Assembling the chicken burgers

Garlic mayo – Mix the mayonnaise with grated garlic. Do this at least 15 minutes ahead to give the flavours a chance to meld.
Spread the mayo on the lid and base of lightly toasted buns. You can toast in the oven, under a grill or just put the cut face down in a pan on the stove.
Assemble – Pile lettuce on the base, top with tomato if using, then chicken, gherkins then the lid.
Eating time! Sink your teeth into the burgers while hot and crunchy!

Love to know what you think if you try this! Hand on heart, this really is far superior to KFC burgers. I am not one to shy away from going public with Shameful Food I love (oh, I’ve been busted doing midnight kebab runs multiple times!). But KFC burgers is one thing you will never catch me eating!! – Nagi x

PS If you make a side of homemade fries to serve with these burgers, I’ll be impressed. And if you do a full-blown homemade KFC spread by adding Coleslaw plus Potato and Gravy, I’ll be seriously impressed!

Complete your Homemade KFC spread!

Perfect Crispy French fries

Coleslaw

KFC Potato and Gravy recipe

Fried Chicken

?rel=0

Watch how to make it

Ultra Crunchy Fried Chicken Burger

Recipe video above. KFC, eat your heart out! Our Fried Chicken Burger is way crunchier than yours, the chicken is way juicier and it tastes way better! The trick is to mix a bit of marinade into the flour coating – this creates lumps that fries up into an awesome ultra crunchy crust. See my Fried Chicken recipe for ravings and musings about this method. (Thanks Kenji!)

Course Main

Cuisine Western

Keyword crunchy chicken burger, fried chicken burger, KFC burger

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Marinating 3

Total Time 3 30

Servings

Calories 730cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Chicken choices:

2 x 250g/8oz chicken breast (I use this)
4 boneless thigh fillets

Marinade:

3/4 cup buttermilk (Note 1 for sub)
1 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
1 large egg

Burgers:

4 soft buns , split and lightly toasted (mine are 10cm/4″)
2 – 3 cups iceberg lettuce , finely sliced (or other leafy greens of choice)
2 tomatoes , sliced (optional, sometimes I do)
2 gherkins / dill pickles , sliced on an angle

Garlic mayo:

2/3 cup mayonnaise , preferably whole egg
3/4 tsp garlic , finely grated (1 clove)

Crunchy coating:

3/4 cup flour , plain / all purpose
1/4 cup corn flour / cornstarch

Fried chicken seasoning:

1/4 tsp celery salt (or heaped 1/8 tsp celery seed)
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (inc to 1/2 tsp for spicy ZINGER burger!)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper

To fry:

3 cups vegetable oil (or canola or peanut) (2.5cm/1″ depth in cooking vessel)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Shortform recipe:
Pound chicken to 1cm / 0.4" thickness, trim, marinade 3 – 24 hrs. Mix coating and seasoning, mix in 2 tbsp marinade. Coat chicken, fry at 180°C/350°F for 4 min (don't touch for first 90 sec). Assemble!
Full instructions:
Chicken – Cover the chicken with a freezer bag or plastic sheet and pound to 1cm / 0.4" even thickness. Trim to just a touch larger than the size of your bun. Save off-cuts for another use (stir fry – or Dozer, in my case!).
Marinade – Whisk Marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken, toss. Marinate in the fridge for 3 hours minimum, to overnight (don't go beyond 24 hrs).
Garlic mayo – Mix in a small bowl and refrigerate until required.
Prepare crunchy coating – Mix flour, cornflour and Seasoning ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of the marinade, then use fingers to mix through to form lumps – when this sticks to the chicken, it fries up into awesome crunchy bits!!
Heat oil in a large heavy based pot over medium high heat to 180°C/350°F (Note 2).
Coat chicken – Pick up a piece of chicken and allow excess marinade to drip off. Press to coat in flour coating. Shake off excess, then fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden. DO NOT TOUCH for the first 90 seconds to allow the coating to adhere. I fry 2 at a time. Drain on paper towels, cook remaining chicken.
Assemble – Smear garlic mayo on the top and bottom of the buns. Pile lettuce on the base, top with tomato if using. Then chicken, gherkins and put the lid on. Sink your teeth into it immediately and enjoy!

Notes

1. Buttermilk is the traditional marinating ingredient for Southern Fried Chicken. Find it in near milk in large grocery stores. Sub with 1/2 cup yogurt + 1/4 cup milk, it works nearly as well (yogurt is an excellent marinading ingredient). Next best sub: stir 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar into milk, leave 10 minutes. Will curdle. Use per recipe.

2. Frying vessel – I feel safe using a heavy cast iron pot. For most oil efficiency, use a wok – shape means you will use about 30% less oil with same surface area for frying. If you have a deep fryer, I salute you!

Oil temperature – use a thermometer. If you don’t have one, test by throwing in a small cube of bread, at 180C/350F it should turn golden in 15 seconds. OR stick a bamboo chopstick in and touch the base of the pot – if bubbles immediately rise from floor of pot, oil is hot enough.

3. Re-using oil – The oil gets a little too dirty with fried chicken, because of the heavy seasoning in the coating. You could re-use it once more for another batch of this recipe, but I wouldn’t use it for another recipe.

4. Leftover cooked chicken will keep for 3 days but, well, you know. Soggy.

Nutrition per burger. Estimate assuming 1 tablespoon of the oil is absorbed into the chicken coating and takes into account residual flour and marinade that is discarded.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Explanation of his forlorn look: He’s not allowed in the kitchen when I deep fry. So he slunk off outside for a snooze. By the time he woke up and waddled back inside, the burgers were long gone and I was roasting vegetables. Explanation complete.

The post Henry’s Crispy Fried Chicken Burger appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Homemade Pork Sausage Patties

Nagi — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 06:00:00 +0000

These sausage patties are your favourite pork sausage in patty form. It’s so easy – just pork mince (ground pork) mixed with a simple spice blend! Serve for dinner with garlic rice or roast potatoes with steamed greens. Then enjoy for breakfast with eggs!

Homemade sausage patties

This is just a great, quick way to use pork mince to make something really tasty that’s a little bit different to the usual. (That’s ground pork, to Americans reading this!)

Essentially, it’s the flavour of your favourite classic pork sausages, cooked up in patty form. Some might identify with these as breakfast sausage patties. It’s similar to the sausage patties I use in my homemade Sausage and Egg Not-McMuffins. But the spice blend is a little bolder, because these are intended for eating plain rather than in breakfast burger form which gets an extra helping hand from cheese and egg.

They are very, very tasty. And I particularly love that there’s no chopping involved, not even mincing garlic. Just crack open your spice jars!

What you need

Here’s what you need to make these pork sausage patties. Pork is the best meat to use because it’s the softest and juiciest. However, the spice blend goes well with chicken and turkey too.

Pork – The fattier your meat, the juicier your patties will be. Having said that, you will see in the video how ridiculously juicy my patties are, and I made this with ordinary pork mince purchased from the grocery store!
Sage powder – This is the secret ingredient! It’s got an earthy, herbaceous flavour and rarely do you see it used in the quantities we’re using in today’s recipe: 1 whole teaspoon for 500g/1lb of pork. It’s the spice that separates this blend from any other generic spice mix, and makes it distinctly “pork sausage” flavoured!
Other spices – Nothing unusual here, just all my usual suspects. Thyme, garlic and onion powder, black pepper (an assertive amount!), salt and a touch of sugar.

No breadcrumbs, no egg. Today’s patties are 100% meat, as all sausages should be. Boo to fillers!

How to make homemade pork sausage patties

Surprise! Guess who’s in today’s recipe video.

Mix the pork and spices together well. Use your hands, there’s just no better way to ensure all the spices mix through properly! Using your hands also binds the meat together better which ensures your patties don’t fall apart when cooking.
Form patties – Make 8 patties, pressing together firmly. Make them about 1cm / 0.4″ thick. This is the ideal thickness so they cook through relatively quickly and evenly while the surface goes a lovely golden brown.
Too thick = overcooked outer band and risk of overly brown surface. Too thin = cooks through too quickly before you get colour on the surface.
DENT to prevent doming! Make a shallow dent in the middle of the pattie (just one side) using the back your 2 fingers. This anticipates the doming that happens when you cook patties, so these patties come out flat instead and makes it easier to brown the surface easily.
Don’t even think about pressing the patties flat – you’ll squeeze all the tasty meat juices out!
Cook patties on medium high for 2 minutes on each side until deep golden. Drain on paper towels then serve!

How I serve sausage patties

Serve for dinner with a starch, greens and a squirt of ketchup! There is absolutely no need to get fancy with the sauce.

Here are some combination suggestions:

With garlic rice or roast potatoes, and steamed greens drizzled with dressing (I used French Dressing in the photos today but if you’re in a rush, use my Everyday Dressing)
With potato and gravy
In burger form. Jam 2 patties between bread or in long rolls with lettuce, cheese, onion, pickles and – yup, you guessed it, a squirt of ketchup!

And as for breakfast:

With a fried or scrambled eggs and toast
Breakfast burgers! Egg, bacon, pan fried tomato slices or mushrooms and cheese, piled on a soft roll. Yes yes yes!
Homemade Sausage and Egg McMuffin – See separate recipe here.

I’m sure I’m missing some obvious, excellent ways to serve homemade sausage patties. Share your suggestions below! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

My debut recipe video starring yours truly! Just dabbling…..

Homemade sausage patties

Recipe video above. This is your favourite pork sausage in patty form. It's so easy – just pork mince (ground pork) mixed with a spice blend. Great to make ahead and freeze, then cook up on demand.

Serve for dinner with garlic rice and steamed green beans tossed with French Dressing. O make burgers! Also great for breakfast with scrambled eggs on toast. (I'd still use ketchup )

Course Breakfast, Mains

Cuisine Western

Keyword homemade sausage patties, pork patties

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Servings patties

Calories 199cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Sausage patties:

500g/ 1 lb pork mince (ground pork) (sub chicken, turkey)
1 tsp dried ground sage (secret ingredient! Note 1)
1/2 tsp dried thyme , crushed with fingers (Note 2)
1 tsp onion powder (sub more garlic powder)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (sub more onion powder)
1 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

Cooking & serving:

2 tbsp olive oil
Ketchup for serving

Instructions

Make patties – Place sausage pattie ingredients in a bowl and mix well with your hands. Divide into 8 and form 1 cm / 0.4" thick patties. Make a shallow dent in the middle of the surface – this prevents the patties from doming as they cook.
Cook 4 minutes – Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large non stick pan over medium high heat. Cook half the patties for 2 minutes on each side until golden. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Heat remaining oil and cook remaining patties.
Serve with ketchup! (See recipe card intro for serving ideas)

Notes

1. Dried sage is the secret spice that makes this so good! Don’t have it? Substitute with 1/2 tsp paprika + 1/4 tsp cumin + 1/4 tsp extra garlic powder. Different flavour but still very tasty, makes up for missing sage.

2. Thyme – Roughly crush it with your fingers so it becomes a little more powdery coaxes more flavour out of it.

3. Leftovers – Cooked leftovers can be kept for 3 days in the fridge. Uncooked raw patties will keep for as long as the raw pork will, or in the freezer for 3 months (thaw then cook per recipe). Freeze in a single layer on trays then stack in an airtight container. Else, put paper between each one (I can’t be bothered which is why I freeze on trays first!).

Nutrition per pattie.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Multiple cameos in today’s recipe video!

The post Homemade Pork Sausage Patties appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.