‹ The Fried Chicken 100 › Make it at home

The Fried Chicken 100 · make it at home

Milk-marinated half fried chicken with potato salad, the old Berlin way

Overnight marinade, 1 hr 15 min · 2 (a half chicken each)

The plate at Henne in Kreuzberg, and a cousin of Austria's Backhendl: a small chicken halved, soaked in milk, crumbed lightly and fried until crisp and golden, with a cold vinegary potato salad and a beer.

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The real one

You need

• 1 small chicken, about 1.2 kg (2 1/2 lb), halved through the breastbone and backbone
• 500 ml (2 cups) whole milk, 1 1/2 tsp fine salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper
• Coat: 100 g (3/4 cup) plain flour, 2 eggs beaten, 100 g (1 1/2 cups) fine dried breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tsp sweet paprika and 1/2 tsp salt
• Oil or clarified butter for frying, about 2 liters (2 quarts)
• Potato salad: 800 g (1 3/4 lb) waxy potatoes, 1 small onion finely diced, 200 ml (3/4 cup) hot chicken stock, 3 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp mustard, 4 tbsp sunflower oil, salt, pepper, chives

How to make it

1. Marinate (overnight): Lay the halves in the milk with the salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Potato salad (40 min, do first): Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender, peel while warm and slice thinly. Bring the stock, onion, vinegar and mustard to a boil and pour over the warm potatoes; leave 20 minutes to soak in, then fold in the oil, salt, pepper and chives. Serve at room temperature.
3. Coat (5 min): Pat the chicken dry. Dust in flour, dip in egg, then press into the breadcrumbs. Rest 10 minutes.
4. Fry (18 to 22 min): Heat the oil to 160°C (320°F) in a pot deep enough to cover a half chicken (or fry in a large skillet with 3 cm / 1 1/4 in oil, turning often). Fry each half 18 to 22 minutes, turning, until deep golden and 74°C (165°F) in the breast, 80°C (175°F) in the thigh. Hold in a 95°C (200°F) oven while you fry the other.
5. Serve: Rest 5 minutes, salt lightly, and serve with the potato salad, a lemon wedge and a beer.

Tips

• A small bird matters: a large one won't cook through before the crumbs brown. Two poussins work well.
• Austrian Backhendl uses jointed pieces and the same crumb: fry them 10 to 12 minutes.

Chef Amazing's own home version, in our words; not any restaurant's recipe.