Asian Fried Chicken with Garlic Chilli Sauce

This is one of those recipes you will make over and over again. Once you have tasted these Asian fried drumsticks you’ll be wanting more, even craving there delectable stickiness. The crunchy exterior can be made with plain flour or with rice flour if you want a gluten free crunch. But if you think you can eat these little delicacies without the chilli garlic sauce then think again. Flavoured with garlic, onion and hot sriracha sauce, this amazing sauce is the star of the show. However if you’re a woos and prefer a milder sauce, try tomato sauce with a little vinegar instead of the sriracha or use another sauce, like a soy honey and ginger sauce.

Cooks Note:

It is important to rest the drumsticks after coating them in flour and egg as this allows the crust to hold to the chicken better, helping to stop it from peeling away from the pieces as they fry. Also, if you want really juicy chicken, marinate the chicken with salt water in the fridge for an hour before dredging.

Ingredients:

For the Garlic Chilli Sauce:

30ml sunflower or peanut oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 large shallot, chopped fine

30ml fish or soy sauce

30ml packed soft brown sugar (Muscovardo)

30ml rice wine vinegar or white vinegar

50ml tomato sauce or ketchup

15-30ml Sriracha or hot chilli sauce

For the Fried Chicken:

1kg chicken drumsticks, washed and patted dry

4-5 eggs

Plain flour or rice flour for dredging- you may need as much as 3 cups of flour

Sunflower or peanut oil for frying

Method:

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan and add the garlic and shallots. Sauté until translucent and slightly coloured. Take care not to burn. Add the fish or soy sauce, the sugar, vinegar, tomato sauce and sriracha, stirring to combine well. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes before removing from the heat. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add water, a tablespoonful at a time until the desired consistency is acquired.

To make the chicken, beat the eggs in a large bowl. In another bowl, place flour. Dredge the chicken first in flour, shaking off the excess flour, then dip in the egg, ensuring the chicken is totally coated. Now dredge again in flour to ensure a thick coating, gently shaking off any excess flour. Set the coated chicken aside on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes to rest.

In a large pot or frying pan, heat about an inch of oil. Be sure that the depth of oil will not overflow when the chicken pieces are added. Heat the oil to about 180˚C. Fry the chicken in batches so as to not overcrowd the pan and reduce the temperature of the oil too much. Carefully put the drumsticks in the oil and fry on both sides till crispy and cooked – about 10 minutes on each side. Make sure that the oil heat does not rise too much as this will crisp the outside of the chicken before it is cooked through properly.

Put the sauce in a large bowl and toss the fried chicken to coat all over.

Serve hot.