It’s taken a lot of trial and error to finally come up with a homemade fried chicken recipe I’m happy with. For a long time, I coated the chicken in ground almonds. However, this method never agreed with me; my body can’t deal with an overdose of almond, and the flavour never seemed to hit the right note.
Finally, I stumbled upon a suggestion to try red lentils instead. And wow. This is so good! If you like fried chicken and want to try making it at home in a relatively healthy way, definitely try this recipe out.
Fried Chicken Nuggets With Coleslaw Recipe
Instructions
Firstly, get the following ingredients…
- 100g salt
- 5 tbsp date syrup (this is what I use but there’s no reason why honey or something else sweet wouldn’t work)
- 2 litres water
…and mix together to make a brine. Next, add 12 boneless chicken thighs. Set aside for at least a few hours, but ideally all day or overnight.
When the chicken’s been in the brine for the required time, drain it and steam for 15 to 20 minutes (until cooked). Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make your coleslaw. The below ingredients makes loads; you’ll have plenty of leftovers…
- 1 cabbage, shredded
- 4 carrots, shredded (I shred the cabbage and carrots using the grating appliance on my food processor)
- 1 red onion, finely cut
- Lightly fried fennel seeds and sesame seeds (fry in olive oil for a couple of minutes and allow to cool)
- 4 eggs yolks
- 75ml walnut oil
- 25ml sesame oil
- 200ml olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- Salt and pepper
Mix all of the above in a large container and set aside in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
Next, prepare the coating for the chicken. Mix the following (I use my Nutribullet but any food processer or blender would work)…
- 250g red lentils
- 1 tbsp tumeric
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp cayenne powder
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp thyme
By the time you’ll have mixed this together, the chicken should have cooled. Get some kitchen scissors or a knife and cut the chicken into smaller nugget-sized chunks.
Now, get three bowls: one with two eggs beaten together, one with the coating mixture, and another with water. Also, get a tray or plate ready. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg, allowing the egg to drip off, before rolling and covering it in the coating mixture. Set each piece aside on your tray or plate. You’ll find your hands get sticky with the coating, so use the bowl with water to quickly wash your fingers before moving on to the next piece of chicken.
Once all of your chicken pieces are covered, get a large frying pan and turn the heat up high. Add a few lugs of olive oil and wait until the pan is nice and hot. Add as many of the chicken nuggets to the pan as will fit, allowing each piece to fry for a few minutes on one side before flipping over. If you use tongs, you can check whether the piece you put in first has turned golden underneath before flipping.
When both sides are lovely and golden, move the nuggets onto a plate with kitchen roll to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the process if you have more chicken to cook by adding a little bit more olive oil to the pan.
Notes
And there you have it! Get the coleslaw out of the fridge and onto a plate, and do the same with your fried chicken nuggets. Destroy them with a guilt-free sense of happiness and wonder where this recipe has been all of your life.
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