Crunchy Chicken (or home-made junk food)

Crunchy Chicken served with Miracle Mash.

Oh wow.  I thought I must've put this one on here,  seeing as how it's a never-fail winner around here.  But, it's not my recipe... or rather I've adapted one from the RPA Hospital's Friendly Food cookbook... so perhaps that's why I didn't.  The cookbook has it under the 'Kids' section,  as a party finger-food, so it uses 3cm strips of chicken.  I use whole breasts, but sliced in half so they're not too thick. The portions below are for my family of 6,  who are decidedly greedy when it comes to this meal.  If you work on a rough ratio of 500g chicken for 300g chips (1 large packet), that should work out okay.

Ingredients:  (Yogurt method)

• 750g chicken breast, sliced in half horizontally
• about 300-500g plain yogurt**
• 2 x 300g packets of Red Rock Deli or Kettle Plain chips, thoroughly crushed  (TMX turbo for a few seconds)
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• NO SALT needed

Method

• Coat chicken in yogurt and allow to marinade in the fridge for about 1 hour
• Preheat oven to 180degC
• Line oven tray(s) with baking paper
• Coat chicken one piece at a time in crushed chips mix
• Lay coated chicken onto tray in single layer
• Cook in oven for about 30 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
• Serve with mashed potato and steamed veg

Ingredients:  (Egg/flour method)

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 x 300g packets of Red Rock Deli or Kettle Plain chips, thoroughly crushed  (TMX turbo for a few seconds)
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• NO SALT needed

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180degC
• Line oven tray(s) with baking paper
• Line up 3 bowls, each large enough to take chicken pieces
• bowl 1, flour;  bowl 2, combine egg and milk and bowl 3, combine the crushed chips and spring onion
• Coat chicken pieces all over with flour, then egg mix, then chips
• Lay coated chicken onto tray in single layer
• Cook in oven for about 30 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
• Serve with mashed potato and steamed veg

**Moderate amines in commercial yogurt

Verdict:
Nom nom nom nom.... is all I can hear.  Seconds... always!  Even Ms D's friends know Crunchy Chicken and quietly ask if we can have it when over for a sleepover.  When you eaten this,  I want to know.  Was it a bit like KFC??  Just a bit?  Or is that because my taste buds are so not used to takeaway?

Tweeks:
Leave out the spring onion if you want to,  it's fine without.  You can add garlic to the chip coating as well.  If you don't think you'll need that much chips, then crush a bit at a time.  You can always do more.  Just don't make the mistake of adding salt.  There's just no need!!

eta... My sister recommended I try marinading the chicken in yogurt...  oh lordy!  That was delish!!  I have added it now as an alternative to the egg/flour.   The chicken was oh, so tender.  Thanks to my sister.  :)

12/11/11  Another tweek.  Today I added 2 cloves of garlic and about 1/2 tsp of citric acid to the chips in the TMX.  I might increase that next time to more like 1 tsp of citric.  The lemon/garlic flavouring was quite tasty.

Leftovers:
The leftover crushed chips are a bit raw-chickeny...  so you couldn't just eat them.. but don't throw them out!  While you're cooking the chicken, put the leftover crushed chips on another tray and cook them for about 10 minutes.  After they're cold, put them into an airtight container and into the fridge.  They go very well sprinkled onto the salad recipe.  Mr frillypants took a bowl of leftover steamed vegies to work, sprinkled with leftover chips too.  He said it was great.

Leftover Crunchy Chicken goes very well in school lunch boxes by itself or in a 'roll up' with salad vegies and some Mighty Mayo  or Pear Ketchup or use it to make a Chicken Salad for dinner another night.