Harissa Fried Chicken

Our theme this month at Twisted HQ is "pastes". All those underused, under-loved jars of helpful little flavour bombs - the unsung heroes of the kitchen.

3 hours prep

30 minutes cook

Serves 4-6

Hugh Woodward

Ingredients

Buttermilk marinade:

240 gbuttermilk

4 cloves, crushedgarlic

1 tbspflaked sea salt

1 egg

4 chicken thighs

Chicken dredge:

150 gplain flour

50 gcorn flour

1 tbspground ancho chilli

1 tbsppaprika

2 tspground carraway seeds

2 tspground coriander

1/4 tspbaking powder

1 tbspflaked sea salt

Carrot & red cabbage salad:

1/4 , finely shreddedred cabbage

2 , finely shreddedcarrots

1/2 , finely shreddedred onion

1 tbspsumac

2 tbspolive oil

1/2 , juicedlemon

Garlic yoghurt

200 gyoghurt

4 crushed clovesgarlic

1 half, squeezedlemon

1 tspflaked sea salt

Harissa oil & other bits

3 tbsp harissa

2 tbsp frying oil

4 brioche buns

to taste tahini sauce

This time, we're focusing hard on harissa. It's a trendy spicy chilli paste with a number of spices involved and always a healthy dose of citrus. We were inspired by Nashville chicken and the hot spicy oil you pour over it to make a harissa fried chicken sandwich.

Method

Whisk the buttermilk, garlic, salt and egg together and add the chicken thighs. Leave to marinade for around 2 hours, or (preferably) overnight before continuing with the next step.

Whisk together the dry ingredients for the dredge. One at a time, place the chicken in the dredge, pressing it in to all the nooks and crannies. Place it briefly back in the buttermilk before dredging about (double dredge).

Preheat a large casserole or heavy bottomed saucepan with around 2 litres of sunflower oil. You're looking to go to 170°C. Mix together the slaw ingredients and the ingredients for the garlic yoghurt.

Fry the chicken until it's cooked through and crispy (you may need to do this in batches) then remove some of the frying oil and pour it over the harissa. Spoon this over the fried chicken. Assemble the burgers - garlic mayonnaise, fried chicken, more oil, a handful for sumacy slaw, a drizzle of tahini sauce, top bun.

Enjoy!