Zoe's Ghana Kitchen
By Zoe Adjonyoh
Jollof fried chicken
Not Too Tricky
serves 4
About the recipe
By far the most popular dish on both our street-food and restaurant menus is this super-crispy and succulent fried chicken recipe – I really shouldn’t be giving away the secret!
Recipe From
Ingredients
JOLLOF DRY SPICE MIX
30g (1oz) ground ginger
16g (½ oz) garlic powder
10g (0.3oz) ground onion
5g (0.1oz) smoked paprika
20g (0.7oz) dried chilli flakes
30g (1oz) dried thyme
12.5g (0.4oz) ground cinnamon
12.5g (0.4oz) ground nutmeg
12.5g (0.4oz) ground coriander
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground cubeb tail pepper
optional: scant 1 teaspoon dried ground prawn/shrimp or crayfish powder
CHICKEN
2 tablespoons Jollof dry spice mix (from above)
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
4 higher-welfare boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
250ml (9fl oz) buttermilk
500ml–1 litre (18fl oz–1 ¾ pints) vegetable oil, for deep-frying
COATING
150–200g (5 ½–7oz) cornflour
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Top Tip
This recipe makes about 150g (5oz) of Jollof dry spice mix. It’s a great secret weapon to bring out for marinating meat before grilling, frying, baking or barbecuing. It works particularly well with chicken and fish. Store the remaining mix in an airtight container in a cool, dark place and use within a few months.
Serve with Jollof (One-pot rice), Scotch bonnet coleslaw or Chunky yam chips, with a side of Shito mayo (see pages 142, 64, 36 and 231 of Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen).
Method
- To make the Jollof dry spice mix, blend all the ingredients together in a spice grinder or pestle.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of Jollof dry spice mix, sea salt and black pepper with the rapeseed oil in a large bowl. Add the chicken strips and buttermilk and turn to coat them all over. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 to 2 hours, preferably overnight.
- Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer (the safest option) or heavy-based, deep saucepan filled to just under half the depth of the pan to 180–190°C (350–375°F) or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds.
- Meanwhile, put the cornflour in a separate bowl with the seasoning and nutmeg and mix well.
- Dip each chicken strip into the seasoned cornflour to coat evenly – try to do 4 or 5 pieces in quick succession, as you need to drop them into the hot oil straight away.
- Fry the chicken, in batches, for no more than 3 to 4 minutes to keep them succulent and juicy yet cooked through, and golden and crispy but not burnt. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper, keeping the cooked chicken hot while you fry the rest.
- It’s that easy – the best fried chicken you’re ever going to eat!
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