Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast
By Jamie Oliver
JFC (Jamie’s fried chicken)
With sweet potato wedges & crunchy slaw
1 hr 35 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 4
About the recipe
The love of chicken in a bucket up and down the UK is clear to see. So, here's a tasty, homemade version with upgraded chicken and two exciting veggie sides. Enjoy JFC!
Recipe From
Ingredients
800g sweet potatoes
olive oil
2 heaped tablespoons fine cornmeal or polenta
1 x 1.8kg whole chicken
1 heaped tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 clove of garlic
2 carrots
1 apple
¼ of a white cabbage
1 small red onion
1 heaped teaspoon English mustard
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 heaped tablespoons fat-free natural yoghurt
350g low-sugar cornflakes
2 large free-range eggs
4 frozen mini corn on the cobs
Top Tip
How to joint a chicken: Knowing how to joint a chicken is a really brilliant skill to have. Don't be scared – it's super simple, and you can buy a whole chicken for just a little bit more than the cost of two chicken breasts. Plus, you have the benefit of the drumsticks, thighs, wings and carcass to do many other delicious things with too, so it can be very economical. Please give it a go – all you need is a plastic chopping board (put a damp cloth underneath to secure it) and sharp chopping knife, and you're away.
Here's what to do:
1. Use your chopping knife to cut the skin between the breast and the leg.
2. Lever the leg away from the carcass, until the bone pops out of the socket.
3. Use the tip of the knife to cut the leg away from the carcass, angling the tip towards the carcass so you get as much meat on the leg as possible.
4. Use the heel of the knife to chop down through the joint of the wing.
5. Feel the breastbone down the centre of the bird, then use the middle of the knife to cut vertically along it, to separate the breast from the bone.
6. Use the tip of your knife to cut between the breast meat and the carcass, slightly angling the knife towards the carcass in a stroking action.
7. Cut down between the breast and the carcass to remove the breast, angling the knife towards the carcass to ensure the breast is as meaty as possible.
8. Repeat all these steps for the other side of the bird. You can leave the legs whole, or cut them into thighs and drumsticks. To do this, use the middle of the knife to cut firmly in one confident movement through the joint at the natural bend of the leg. Save the carcass for making stock.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.
- Scrub the sweet potatoes clean, slice into wedges, toss in a tray with a little olive oil, 1 heaped tablespoon of cornmeal or polenta and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then put aside.
- Cut up your chicken (see my tips on how to joint a chicken below – you'll need to split the legs into thighs and drumsticks for this recipe as described in step 8), then remove and discard the skin and lay the pieces on a large baking tray.
- Add the remaining cornmeal or polenta, a good lug of olive oil and the Cajun seasoning to the tray, squash over the garlic through a garlic crusher, then toss and massage to coat the chicken. Place on the top shelf of the oven, pop the wedges underneath and cook for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel the onion and coarsely grate in a food processor with the carrots, apple and cabbage. Tip into a bowl and mix with the mustard, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and yoghurt, then season to perfection and put aside.
- Crush the cornflakes into fine crumbs and whisk the eggs.
- When the time’s up, remove the chicken from the oven, then carefully brush the pieces with the beaten egg and use tongs to firmly press them in the cornflake crumbs until they’re all evenly coated.
- Return the tray to the bottom of the oven, quickly turn the wedges and cook for a further 40 minutes, or until the chicken and sweet potatoes are golden and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, grill the frozen corn on a hot griddle pan for around 15 minutes, or until hot through and charred, turning occasionally.
- Take everything to the table, get excited and dig in.
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