KFC at Home???

Who doesn’t like crispy fried chicken from KFC? At least I have neither heard nor come across anybody satisfying this criterion! Well, it was a “Love at first bite” for me and I have become an unfaltering enthusiast ever since. Every time I indulged into this marvel, I wondered what might be the secret recipe of Colonel Harland Sanders. Ma is equally a fan of KFC and I always take home some crispy fried chicken for her whenever I pass by its outlet. I remember the first time we had taken her to KFC and we were standing in a queue to get in. She is an impatient soul and kept on protesting waiting in a long line just to have fried chicken to fill hungry stomachs that too during lunch time! I still can’t forget her dialogue “Eta to amader machher kabirajir moto na?” (Meaning it’s like our Fish Kabiraji right? – all you non Bengali people, Fish kabiraji is crispy fried fish which mostly makes its appearance on special occasions.) Fortunately for us, it was worth the wait for her.

Now what’s with the title of this post? Does that mean I picked up a bucket on the way home and savored it with family? No folks! I actually made them at home and?? Curious to know the verdict??? It was very close to Sanders’ version. Did I solve the mystery of herbs behind it to prepare it at home? No, all I did was to follow Sailu’s recipe of Crsipy Fried Chicken. Like always, her recipe didn’t fail me. It’s a very easy but not quick to make. Chicken has to be marinated for a total of 12 hours but after that it is a breeze. Oh yes! It was finger licking good too! My niece helped me in dipping the chicken pieces in egg mixture and then rolling it in flour mixture and the sweet little fingers perhaps enhanced the taste!

Ingredients:

3 or 4 chicken legs
oil for deep frying

For first marinade: 8-10 hrs
1/2 cup buttermilk OR 3 tbsps vinegar+6 tbsps water
1/2 tsp salt

For second marinade: 3-4 hrs
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli pwd
3/4 tsp salt

For first coating:
1 egg
2-3 tbsps milk
salt to taste
pepper to taste

For second coating:
3 tbsps cornflour
3 tbsps maida
salt to taste
pepper to taste


Method:
1. Wash chicken legs and make slits all over. Take a large ziplock bag, place chicken and the first marinade and lock it. Place the zip lock bag in the refrigerator for atleast 8 hrs.


2 After 8 hrs, drain the first marinade and add the second marinade to the chicken legs and shake the zip lock bag well. Lock it and place in refrigerator for another 3-4 hours.

3 Remove chicken legs after marination, dip in the first coating mixture (eggs/milk) and then coat with the second coating mixture (cornflour/maida).

4 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, once the oil is hot, reduce flame, place one or two coated chicken legs (based on the size of the vessel) and cook on low to medium flame on both sides of the legs for 6-7 mts. Cook on high flame for another 2-3 mts on both sides till golden brown. Drain onto absorbent paper and bake in hot oven at 175 for 10 mts