Ingredients

Chicken Flour – 5 Portions

  • 500g Rice Flour
  • 1000g Plain Flour
  • 20g Chinese Chicken Powder
  • 13g Chicken Spice

Chicken Spice 

  • 18g Garlic Powder
  • 17g White Pepper
  • 17g Smoked Paprika
  • 3g Celery Salt
  • 6g Black Pepper

Brined Chicken – 2 Portions

  • 300g chicken cut to spec
  • 200ml water
  • 200ml ice
  • 16g salt
  • 0.5g Fennel Seed
  • 0.5g Black Pepper

Jalapeno Buttermilk Dressing – 6 Portions

  • 40g Whole Pickled Grilled Jalapenos
  • 3.5g Salt
  • 20g White Wine Vinegar
  • 12g Dijon Mustard
  • 40g Egg Yolks
  • 100g Rapeseed Oil
  • 100g Buttermilk

Grilled Pickled Jalapeno

  • 200g Grilled Jalapenos
  • 100g White Wine Vinegar
  • 100g Water
  • 25g Sugar
  • 2.5g Salt
  • 1g Black Pepper

Sunflower Seed Gravy – 6 Portions

  • 100g Sunflower Seeds
  • 25g Unsalted Butter
  • 400ml Strong Brown Chicken Stock
  • 15g Crème Fraiche
  • Salt, Black Pepper and Kombu Dashi Powder to Taste

Two Lights Hot Sauce – 20 portions

  • 800g Long Red Chilis
  • 600g Water
  • 24g Salt
  • Xanthan Gum
  • White Distilled Vinegar
  • Salt to Taste

Garlic Porkfat Biscuits – 2 portions

  • 255g Plain Flour
  • 4g Salt
  • 2g Baking Soda
  • 6g Baking Powder
  • 6g Garlic Powder
  • 25g Cold Diced Butter
  • 50g Smoked Rendered Porkfat
  • 200ml Thick Buttermilk
Method

Chicken Flour & Chicken Spice

  1. Combine ingredients for chicken flour and mix evenly
  2. Grind together chicken spice mix, sifting out any big chunks

Two Lights Hot Sauce

  1. Wash chilis well then in half and remove green stems
  2. Put all into glass or non-reactive container
  3. Make brine with water and salt. 4% solution. Pour over chilis
  4. Directly cover brine with clingfilm and cover container with a lid.
  5. Leave chilis in a cool dark place to ferment for 2 WEEKS
  6. Once fermented, strain off brine
  7. Blend fermented chilis in Vitamix with some of the brine to a slightly thick consistency.
  8. Add 1g Xanthan gum per 2 liters to help emulsify
  9. Strain through fine chinois
  10. Season final hot sauce with vinegar and salt if necessary

Brined Chicken

  1. Bring water to the boil with salt and spices, add ice
  2. When ice is melted strain and brine chicken for 8-10 hours
  3. Remove chicken from brine and let dry on rack for a few hours before using

Sunflower Seed Gravy

  1. In a large pot, melt butter and begin to brown
  2. Add sunflower seeds and continue to cook and stir until dark brown
  3. Add warm stock and simmer for 30-45 min until seeds are soft and braised
  4. Blend in vitamix until VERY smooth. Use extra stock if necessary
  5. Pass through fine chinois, whisk in crème fraiche
  6. Season with salt, kombu dashi and a generous amount of black pepper

Grilled Pickled Jalapeños

  1. Grill Jalapenos until nicely charred
  2. Poke jalapenos several times with a skewer
  3. Bring pickle to a boil and pour over jalapenos
  4. Let cool completely before using

Jalapeño Buttermilk Dressing

  1. In Thermomix, blend Jalapenos, vinegar, Dijon and yolks until smooth
  2. Emulsify in oil to make a mayonnaise
  3. Pass mayo through a fine chinois and combine with buttermilk.
  4. Test for seasoning if necessary

Garlic Porkfat Biscuits

  1. Combine all but buttermilk together
  2. Small batches at a time, blend all in thermomix to a pebbly mix. Don’t not overmix
  3. Place pebbly mix in a large bowl and slowly incorporate buttermilk 1/3rd at a time
  4. Once all buttermilk is added, turn biscuit mix onto a table and press the dough together
  5. Fold the dough over itself and then press down again.
  6. Repeat to 6 folds total
  7. Let dough rest on tray until cold and firm
  8. Roll out to about 3cm thick and cut 2.5cmx2.5cm square biscuits
  9. Brush with egg wash and bake at 190C for 12 minutes

To Finish 1 Plate

  1. Make sure oil is hot before starting the chicken Before dredging,
  2. Flick a handful of buttermilk to flour and mix
  3. Rub flour between your hands to form little pebbles, these are the crispy bits!
  4. Wearing gloves, mix chicken with buttermilk and coat evenly
  5. Place chicken pieces in flour, a little extra buttermilk on chicken is okay
  6. Toss chicken around lightly in flour to coat
  7. Make sure they are very dry and don’t touch and stick
  8. Once coated nicely, press flour into each piece to form flakes which will stick while frying
  9. Carefully take each piece of chicken from flour and into carefully drop into oil
  10. Turn chicken over in pot after 6 minutes. Do not touch otherwise, it will break the crust
  11. Fry for a total of 12 minutes or until chicken reaches 68C internally with probe thermometer
  12. Carefully lift chicken out of oil onto a rack. Lightly dust with chicken spice
  13. Serve chicken with 2 biscuits, hot sauce, jalapeño mayo and sunflower seed gravy. A little butter never hurt either!

This recipe was brought to you by Two Lights.