Fried Chicken (Digaag La Shiilay) بروست الدجاج
For quite some time now, we wanted to post a recipe for fried chicken. It was always in the back of our mind. Then came Lee Daniel’s The Butler. We went to watch the movie as soon as it was released, and there was the fried chicken. A short hushed consultation and we decided it was going to be our next recipe. Well, there were two things that pushed us towards that: we were hungry at the time AND the movie left a good impression on us.
Our all-time favourite fried chicken was the one at Al Baik Restaurant in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We have yet to come across a place that has as good a fried chicken. Al Baik uses the broasting method of pressure frying the chicken, and its unique blend of spices makes the chicken addictive.
We remember a sales representative from a French furniture supplier who used to visit us in Jeddah. He used to tell us that his first stop in Jeddah was at Al Baik. He would tell the taxi driver to take him to the nearest restaurant. That is how much he loved it!
What makes the fried chicken taste even better is the garlic dip that comes with it. One day, our friend lamented that the garlic breath made him uncomfortable after eating his favourite meal. We gave him 3 cardamom pods to chew, and that he did. From that day onwards, he made sure he had a few cardamom pods in his pocket when flying into Jeddah.
Video without music:
Ingredients:
(Tbsp is a tablespoon; tsp is a teaspoon)
(1 cup = 237 mL = 2.4 dl; 1 Tbsp = 15 mL; 1 tsp = 5 mL); all are level measurements
Fried Chicken:
- 3 lb (1.36 kg) Whole Chicken
- 2 cup(s) (474 mL) Buttermilk – Or milk, or thinned yogurt
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) Chicken bouillon powder – For marinade
- 1 tsp (5 mL) Ground black pepper – For marinade
- 2 tsp (10 mL) Garlic paste – Minced garlic will burn
- 3 cups (420 g) All-purpose (plain) flour
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) Chicken bouillon powder – For seasoned flour
- 2 tsp (10 mL) Ground black pepper – For seasoned flour
- 8 cups (2 litres) Vegetable oil – For a 9½ inch (24 cm) diameter pot
Directions:
Steps for preparing the fried chicken
- Cut the chicken into 8 pieces, and remove the excess fat. Wash and pat dry.
- Mix the 2 cups of buttermilk, 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper and the garlic paste. Stir very well.
- Marinade the chicken. Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours.
- Mix the 3 cups of flour, 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder and the 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper.
- Dredge the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour.
- Place them on a rack and air dry for 20 minutes.
- For a thicker crust, dip them again in the buttermilk marinade and dredge in the seasoned flour.
- Fry the chicken pieces in vegetable oil using medium heat. Let the oil temperature reach 350°F/177°C before starting to fry. After placing the chicken in the hot oil, the temperature will drop. Keep using medium heat. Fry the white meat for 14 minutes and the dark meat for 16 minutes.
- Remove the cooked chicken pieces from the oil and place them on a wire rack to drain.
3-lb (1.36 kg) fryer chicken
Cut the chicken into 8 pieces
The marinade
The chicken in the marinade
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours
The seasoned flour
After marination, the chicken is ready to be dredged in the seasoned flour
Let the chicken dry for 20 minutes
For a thicker crust, dip again in the buttermilk then the flour
Double-dipped chicken
For maximum crunchiness, drain the chicken on a wire rack
Fried Chicken
Fried Chicken
Fiidiyo aan muusik lahayn:
Mukawinaadka:
(QW waa qaaddo weyn – midda cuntada lagu cuno; qy waa qaaddo yar)
(1 koob = 237 mL = 2.4 dl; 1 QW = 15 mL; 1 qy = 5 mL)
Digaag La Shiilay:
- 3 baawun (1.36 kg) Digaag (dooro) (dhan)
- 2 koob (474 mL) Caano garoor – Ama caano caadi ah, ama caana fadhi biyo lagu qafiifiyay
- 2 QW (30 mL) Budo maraq digaag – Caanaha lagu daro
- 1 qy (5 mL) Filfil madoow shiidan – Caanaha lagu daro
- 2 qy (10 mL) Tuun (toon) macjuun – Tuunta la xoqay way gubanaysaa
- 3 koob (420 g) Bur cad
- 3 QW (45 mL) Budo maraq digaag – Burka lagu daro
- 2 qy (10 mL) Filfil madoow shiidan – Burka lagu daro
- 8 koob (2 litre(s)) Saliid caddeey – Ku filan digsi wareegiisa yahay 9½ inch (24 cm)
Diyaarinta:
Diyaarinta digaagga la shii