Southern-fried chicken with lime and chilli corn recipe

Buttermilk fried chicken with sweetcorn and coleslaw.

Ingredients

1. 600ml buttermilk
2. 2 tbsp sea salt
3. 2 tbsp Tabasco sauce
4. 8 free-range chicken thighs or drumsticks, skin-on
5. 400g plain flour
6. 2 tsp cayenne pepper
7. 4 tsp mustard powder
8. 2 tbsp celery salt
9. 4 large free-range eggs, beaten
10. 2 litres sunflower or groundnut oil for deep-frying, plus extra for oiling
11. For the lime & chilli corn
12. 4 sweetcorn cobs, blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water, then drained
13. 50g butter
14. Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
15. Pinch of chilli flakes
16. For the slaw
17. ¼ red cabbage, very finely sliced
18. 2 large carrots, shredded
19. ½ red onion, very finely sliced
20. ½ fennel bulb, shredded
21. 2 tsp mayonnaise
22. 2 tbsp soured cream
23. 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
24. 1 tsp caster sugar

Method

1. 1. Mix the buttermilk, salt and Tabasco in a large, non-metallic bowl. Add the chicken pieces – make sure they’re completely coated, cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
2. 2. Take the marinated chicken out of the buttermilk and shake off any excess liquid. Mix the flour, cayenne, mustard powder and celery salt in a bowl, season well and toss the chicken in it. Dip them one by one in the beaten eggs, then back into the flour, and shake off any excess.
3. 3. Half-fill a deep sauté pan with the oil and until it reaches 160°C. Deep-fry the chicken in batches for 8-10 minutes until golden and crisp. Keep warm in a low oven while you cook the rest.
4. 4. Mix together all the ingredients for the slaw, then taste and season. Set aside. Heat a griddle pan until very hot, oil the corn cobs and cook on the griddle for 5-8 minutes until lightly charred. Halve, then dot with the butter, squeeze over the lime juice and sprinkle with the zest, chilli flakes and plenty of sea salt. Serve the chicken with the slaw and corn.

Nutritional info

PER SERVING: 855kcals, 44.6g fat (13.9g saturated), 51.3g protein, 62.2g carbs (11.2g sugars), 2.5g salt, 8.2g fibre

Chef's tip

Soaking chicken in salted buttermilk adds moisture and flavour. It tenderises the meat too.

Wine Recommendation

Californian chardonnay shines with fried chicken – its ripe, full flavour can take on the chilli corn, too. 

Source: http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/southern-fried-chicken-with-lime-&-chilli-corn-and-slaw