Curry leaf popcorn chicken recipe
The secret to nailing this American South-inspired classic lies in the technique – shake the chicken in small batches in a resealable plastic bag to achieve a uniform coating of flour. The hot little nuggets of chicken are topped with crunchy fried curry leaves and chillis.
This recipe is from Season by Nik Sharma (Chronicle Books, £26). Photography by Nik Sharma.
Ingredients
- 60 ml fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt (plus 1 teaspoon)
- 910 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 280 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 720 ml vegetable oil
- 4 green bird’s eye chillies, seeded, if desired
- 4 green cardamom pods, seeds only
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 12 black peppercorns
- 480 ml buttermilk
- 2 serrano or jalapeño chillies, seeded, if desired
- 6 spring onions
- 30 curry leaves, preferably fresh
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 2.5 cm (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 2.1 fl oz fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt (plus 1 teaspoon)
- 32.1 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 9.9 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 25.3 fl oz vegetable oil
- 4 green bird’s eye chillies, seeded, if desired
- 4 green cardamom pods, seeds only
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 12 black peppercorns
- 16.9 fl oz buttermilk
- 2 serrano or jalapeño chillies, seeded, if desired
- 6 spring onions
- 30 curry leaves, preferably fresh
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 2.5 cm (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 0.3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt (plus 1 teaspoon)
- 32.1 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 9.9 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 cups vegetable oil
- 4 green bird’s eye chillies, seeded, if desired
- 4 green cardamom pods, seeds only
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 12 black peppercorns
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 serrano or jalapeño chillies, seeded, if desired
- 6 spring onions
- 30 curry leaves, preferably fresh
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 2.5 cm (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
Details
- Cuisine: American
- Recipe Type: Chicken
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 45 mins
- Cooking Time: 20 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Heat a small, dry frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the cardamom, coriander, cumin seeds and the peppercorns and toast for 30 to 45 seconds, swirling the mixture occasionally until the seeds release their aroma and start to brown. Divide the toasted spice mixture in half.
- Transfer one half of this mixture to a spice grinder and pulse to a fine powder. You can prepare the spices up to 1 week in advance and store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
- In a blender, combine the remaining toasted spice mixture with the buttermilk, serrano or jalapeño chillies, spring onions, 15 of the curry leaves, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the cayenne, ginger, lime juice and 1 tablespoon of the salt. Pulse until completely smooth and transfer to a large resealable plastic bag.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Trim excess fat from the chicken and cut the flesh into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes. Add to the marinade.
- Seal the bag and shake to coat evenly. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dredging mixture. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the remaining half of the ground spice mixture with the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, remaining half a teaspoon cayenne and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, shaking vigorously to blend.
- Finely chop 10 of the remaining curry leaves and add them to the dredging mixture. Seal the bag and shake again to mix well.
- Once the chicken has marinated, use tongs to lift out half the chicken pieces, shaking off the excess batter and transfer to the bag with the dredging mixture. Seal the bag and shake to coat evenly. Transfer the chicken pieces to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- In a medium casserole dish, heat the oil over medium-high heat to 180°C (350°F).
- Fry the chicken in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to paper towels to drain.
- After the chicken is cooked, prepare the garnish. Cut the bird’s eye chillies in half lengthwise. In the hot oil left in the casserole dish, deep-fry the chillies and remaining 5 curry leaves until crispy, 30 to 40 seconds. Drain on paper towels.
- Put the chicken on a serving plate, garnish with the chillies and fried curry leaves, and serve hot with a maple-vinegar sauce or hot sauce.
This recipe is from Season by Nik Sharma (Chronicle Books, £26). Photography by Nik Sharma.
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