The Cabana Cookbook
By David Ponte, Lizzy Barber & Jamie Barber
50 mins plus marinating
Not Too Tricky
serves 4
About the recipe
This Brazilian-style fried chicken is the ultimate dish to enjoy with friends and the futebol. We’ve taken the traditional Brazilian fried chicken dish frango à passarinho (which literally means ‘chicken in the style of a little bird’ because of the bite-sized pieces) and given it added crunch in the form of another well-loved Brazilian ingredient: matchstick potatoes. Best served with a beer in one hand and the remote control in the other.
Recipe From
Ingredients
450g skinless, boneless free-range chicken thighs or breasts
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2-3 tablespoons cheiro verde (equal quantities of chopped flat-leaf parsley and spring onion)
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
125g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon tempero baiano seasoning
1 large baking potato (about 100g)
vegetable oil, for deep frying
1 sprig of fresh flat-leaf parsley
chilli mayonnaise
Method
- Cut the chicken into 3cm pieces, then place in a large bowl.
- Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, then add to the chicken along with the cheiro verde and lime juice.
- Season with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat and leave to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes (or cover and chill for a couple of hours).
- Put the flour, baking powder and tempero baiano seasoning in a large bowl and mix well.
- Peel the potato, then finely grate it over the bowl using a mandolin. The pieces should be as fine as matchsticks. Mix the potatoes with the flour until evenly coated.
- Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to about 180°C/350°F.
- Add the potato and flour mixture to the bowl of marinated chicken and mix well.
- Fry the chicken in batches, making sure each piece is well coated with the potato matchsticks and batter. Fry each batch for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn it over and cook until both sides are evenly browned and crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm while frying the remaining chicken.
- Finely chop the parsley, and sprinkle over the chicken with a pinch of salt. Serve hot, with chilli mayonnaise on the side.
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