Recipes / Mains / American Ingredients Servings
Quantities for 4 servings
4 skinless chicken breasts, about 180 g each 250 ml buttermilk 2 garlic cloves, finely grated 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp fine salt, plus more for the fries 600 g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chips 1 litre vegetable oil, for frying 180 g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground 1 tsp celery salt 2 eggs, beaten 100 g mayonnaise 2 tbsp pickle brine 4 small dill pickles, finely chopped
Treat this list as a starting point rather than a shopping order. Swap what you haven't got, leave out what you dislike, add what you love — this is exactly the kind of dish that rewards poking around in the fridge.
Method 1 Put the chicken breasts between sheets of baking paper and gently bash them to an even 1.5 cm thickness. This helps them cook through before the coating becomes too dark, and gives you a sensible amount of crust in every bite. 2 Mix the buttermilk, garlic, smoked paprika and salt in a shallow dish, add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes; the buttermilk seasons the meat right through and keeps the lean breasts from drying out. 3 Rinse the chips under cold water until the water runs mostly clear, then dry them very thoroughly with a clean tea towel. Surface starch makes chips stick together, while water is an unpleasant companion to hot oil. 4 Heat the vegetable oil in a deep, heavy saucepan or deep-fat fryer to 150°C. Fry the chips in batches for 5–6 minutes, until pale, flexible and just cooked in the centre; they should not colour yet. Drain on a rack while you fry the rest. 5 Mix the flour, baking powder, black pepper and celery salt in one shallow dish, and put the beaten eggs in another. Lift a chicken breast from the marinade, let the excess drip off, then coat it in flour, egg and flour again, pressing the last layer firmly into all the nooks. 6 Raise the oil to 175°C and fry the chicken, one or two pieces at a time, for 4–5 minutes per side. The coating should be a deep golden brown and the thickest part should reach 74°C; if it colours too quickly, lower the heat so the centre has time to cook. 7 Return the chips to the 175°C oil in batches and fry for 3–4 minutes, until golden and audibly crisp. Drain, season immediately with salt, and keep them on a rack rather than in a bowl, where steam will soften them. 8 Stir the mayonnaise, pickle brine and chopped pickles together. Serve the chicken with the fries and sauce straight away, while the crust is still crackly and the chips have not had time to sulk. Tap a step to cross it off. Your place is saved on this device.
Cook’s notes A meat thermometer is useful here: chicken breasts vary wildly in thickness, and colour alone can be misleading. If the coating is browning before the chicken is cooked, reduce the oil temperature and give the pieces another minute or two.
For a lighter version, use half plain flour and half cornflour in the coating. The chips can be blanched up to a few hours ahead; cool them uncovered, then fry for the final crisping just before serving.
The chicken is best fresh, but leftovers keep for two days in the fridge. Reheat on a wire rack in a 200°C oven until hot; the microwave will make the crust soft.
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