Our new favorite tool in the kitchen is our deep fryer. There are a ton of recipes for fried chicken in our favorite cookbooks but Edward Lee was the first we tried. He boils his chicken before deep frying it which keeps the meat moist and but allows the skin to be crispy. We tried this with his Adobo Chicken and Waffles but wanted to put our own spin on things. The crust of this chicken is HOT but also has crushed fennel seeds which cools down the mouth. As a dipping sauce we decided to go with one of our favorite sauces. Peruvian green sauce. This stuff is addicting. Not sure we make as well as our favorite Peruvian spot in Port Chester, NY but its pretty good.
Fennel Broth Recipe
- Half a fennel bulb chopped in small pieces
- 1/4 cup of chopped dried peppers. The peppers can be your choice depending on how spicy you would like the chicken.
- 2½ cups distilled white vinegar
- 1½ cups water
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 4 bay leaves
- 1½ teaspoons black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
We used dried chipotle peppers, chili de arbols, cascabel chilies. Roughly chop the chilies.
Put all the broth ingredients in a large pot. Cover with a lid, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, then turn the heat down as low as it will go. Season chicken pieces with salt. Add the chicken to the broth, cover, and poach for 15 minutes, turning once halfway through. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the liquid, covered, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces from the adobo broth (keep the broth) and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Pat dry.
Fried Chicken Recipe
- 2 pounds chicken, thighs and/or drumsticks, plus wings if desired (do not use breasts)
- Salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon crushed fennel seed
- About 8 cups peanut oil for deep-frying
Pour the buttermilk into a large shallow bowl. In another bowl, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, the paprika, and the pepper. Dip each chicken piece in the buttermilk, shake off any excess liquid, dredge in the flour mixture, turning to coat, and transfer to a large plate. Repeat this process so they are double battered. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Fill your deep fryer with peanut oil. Heat the oil to 365°F. Cook the chicken pieces 2 or 3 at a time for 8 to 10 minutes. Be sure to keep the oil temperature at around 350 to 365°F. Lift the chicken out of the oil and drain on paper towels. Season again with a little salt, and transfer to a platter in the oven.
Peruvian Green Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 onion
- 2 tablespoons aji amarillo paste
- 1 tablespoon huacatay paste
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
- 1 lemon zested
- Salt and pepper to taste
Peel and coarsely chop the garlic. Heat the oil in a small skillet and sauté the garlic in the oil over medium-low heat until garlic is fragrant and just starting to turn golden. Remove from heat and let cool in skillet with the oil.
Coarsely chop the onions. Add the garlic and oil to a blender or food processor, along with the onion. Add the mayonnaise, aji amarillo, huacatay,cilantro, mint and lemon zest. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
When plating the dish put some Peruvian Green Sauce on bottom of the plate. Pick out the fennel pieces from the spicy fennel broth and garnish the plate with these. This will help with the heat of the chicken. Take the chicken out of the oven and enjoy everything together!