Phil picked this recipe up from a chef in the deep south of the US. He said: "This is a fantastic way to still enjoy fried chicken without all the fat! Simply replace the huge amount of salt usually used with herbs and spices, remove the skin and shallow fry the chicken before finishing it off by baking in the oven."
Serves 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes in total
Ingredients
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp salt
225g plain flour
4 medium eggs
175ml cold water
8 medium chicken thighs, bone in and skin off
Sunflower or safflower oil, to fry
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/ gas mark2 6.
2. Place the oregano, thyme, pepper, flour and salt into a medium bowl and mix well.
3. Whisk the eggs together with the water.
4. Toss the chicken thighs into the flour and spice mixture to lightly dust, remove from the flour and place on one side.
5. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, shake off any excess then put back into the flour mixture to coat - it’s best to do this stage one piece at a time, otherwise you’ll get very messy!!
6. Heat a pan of vegetable oil about 2cm deep to about 175C, or when a piece of bread browns within 30 seconds when popped in.
7. Add 4 chicken thighs and fry for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown - the oil should only come just halfway up the sides of the chicken.
8. Place a wire rack onto a baking tray, then place the browned chicken on the wire rack.
9. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for about 15-20 minutes.
11. The smell will be really tempting, but try to resist because they’ll burn your mouth if you eat them straight away!!
See also: Phil's American chopped salad