The Fried Chicken Wrap

 

The ethics of blogging–and yes, such things do exist–contend that three changes to a recipe make it one’s own. So while it would be “ethical” for me to claim I invented the fried chicken wrap, I did not. The original recipe comes from Nigella Lawson’s Cook, Eat, Repeat, where it appears as a fried chicken sandwich.

In the neighborhood.

Said changes make the dish both easier to cook and, in the case of my husband, easier to eat.

We have become the kind of people who grow strawberries. Well, John has. I could kill a field of dandelions.

As deep frying Chez IK is an adventurous proposition, I increase Nigella’s single sandwich serving (there’s a mouthful) to several.

Bay Area Rapid Transit, from across the platform. For the first time in eighteen months.

To that end, I buy one pound (454 grams) of chicken, good for at least four meals in our two-person, measly appetite household. I slice the chicken into strips before marinating it in yogurt spiced with hot paprika, Amora mustard, and a garlic clove. Ideally the chicken marinates from 2-24 hours, but life is not ideal. You know that.

Once it’s fry time, the chicken is dunked in seasoned flour (salt, more paprika). Then it’s fry time. There is no photo of this, as hot oil and photography are a volatile mix.

Given our home’s aged fuses and the area’s dicey electrical grid, a deep fryer is out of the question. Just the other day, appropos of nothing–weather was fine, no accidents, etc–we lost power for two hours. This is not uncommon.

All to say, any frying, deep or otherwise, transpires in a 10-inch cast iron pan.

As I forgot to photograph the pan, I give you my husband’s turntable and this snazzy red vinyl. It’s been sitting there for a week.

I digress.

I fry the chicken about five minutes a side, then transfer it to a 200F/90C oven, ensuring it is cooked through while staying hot and crisp.

Let us take a moment to discuss frying safety. As somebody who once burned three fingers with boiling bacon fat, this is a subject I feel strongly about.

First of all, put down the damn phone.

Lawson suggests using duck fat, chicken fat, or sunflower oil to fry your chicken. I use high-heat organic canola oil, which responds well to–no surprise here–high heat frying. Peanut and grapeseed oils are also good choices. Olive oil, which has a lower smoke point, is not.

Now is the time to use a spatter guard, should you have one. If you don’t, this cheap bit of kitchen kit is easily found at hardware stores, kitchen shops, and supermarkets. While not critical, it is helpful.

If you are interrupted while cooking, or need to leave the stove, either turn the heat down or move the pan off the burner. Do not trifle with boiling oil.

Discard used cooking oil by allowing it to cool to barely warm, then pouring it into a glass jar. Once the jar is full, cap it and throw it out in the trash. I keep canning jars in my fridge for this.

Okay, you’ve cooked all your chicken. The kitchen is a grease tap. How to clean up?

As a former professional house cleaner and full-time neat freak, I clean up grease with white vinegar and Meyer’s Clean Day. If these don’t work, I use ammonia.

Ammonia, diluted or not, is a strong cleaning agent with powerful fumes. It wouldn’t hurt to to sling a mask on. You have one around, right? Be sure to wear gloves, open your windows, and move smallish people to another room. Ditto pets.

We’ve cooked, we’ve cleaned. It’s time to eat our fried chicken wraps.

I serve my Nigella fried chicken wraps with a variety of vegetables and condiments: pickles, lettuce, thinly sliced onion, tomatoes. A stack of tortillas is always on the table, as are bottles of Kewpie Mayonnaise and Huy Fong chili sauce, which, when mixed together, create the ideal sauce.

Leftover chicken is wonderful at any temperature. Reheating it is best in an oven or toaster oven, to re-crisp the coating, but a microwave oven will do in a pinch.