You know the place. Everyone raves about their chicken sandwich. Your children always beg you to go there. The drive through lines are insanely long. While their customer service is amazing, it’s closed on Sundays - even in Atlanta’s football stadium, which is dumb because, hello, football is played on Sunday. The CEO invests in anti-human policies. For that reason, and the fact that the chicken is merely just “ok”, I don’t frequent the establishment too much. I go there when there is a PTO fundraiser for my children’s schools or if I’m in a bind, but don’t feel like putting food that doesn’t naturally decompose into my body. Also, Chik-fil-A sauce, for the record, is gnarly.
Now, where were we? Ah yes - fried chicken sandwiches. Sure, I could have tried to do a copycat recipe, but why would I do that for some blah chicken? Instead, I decided to recreate another recreation (of a chicken sandwich I’ve only read about) from Himalaya Restaurant in Houston, Texas. I read about this chicken during the Nationals’ playoff run a few years ago in which I was doing an “eat ‘em to beat ‘em” theme where I’d cook up food based upon the opponents’ location. This was before the blog, so I have no link to offer you, unfortunately. Perhaps I need to reflect upon that awesomeness and do a series on here. So, below is my take on chicken I’ve never tried before. It’s amazingly delicious and guilt free, in a humanistic sense I guess. I pair it with a raita-based sauce, because, again: Chik-fil-A sauce is disgusting.
Himalayan Fried Chicken Sandwiches
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 cups buttermilk
Kosher salt
Garam Masala
Ground coriander, cumin, cardamom, black pepper, garlic powder, mustard and turmeric
Frying oil
AP flour
Baking powder
Dried cilantro
4 brioche buns
Butter
Lettuce
Tomato
Havarti dill cheese, thinly sliced
Mangia’s Raita Sauce (recipe below)
Using a fork, prick each of the chicken thighs all over.
In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 5 tbsp garam masala, 1 tbsp each of the coriander, cumin and cardamom, 2 tsp each of black pepper and garlic powder, and 1 tsp each of mustard and turmeric, with a whisk to fully incorporate. Place the chicken in the bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours, but preferably 24 hours. Mix the buttermilk marinade a few times to help infuse the flavors.
A few hours before frying, combine 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and a tablespoon each of black pepper, dried cilantro, and cumin in a bowl. Stir to blend. Add in a couple ounces of the buttermilk marinade to make the mixture crumbly.
Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and roll the pieces in the flour mixture. Set all of the breaded chicken on a wire rack-lined baking sheet and place in the refrigerator to set.
When ready to fry, preheat your oil (about 8 cups) in a dutch oven or deep fryer and heat until the oil reaches 365 degrees. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Place the chicken into the oil and fry for about 4-6 minutes. Check the temperature in the thickest part of one chicken thigh after 4 minutes, using an instant-read thermometer. Pull from the oil when it reaches 165 degrees. Place the fried chicken on a clean wire rack set in a baking sheet. Place in the oven to keep warm while frying any remaining chicken.
While the chicken fries, butter your buns lightly and place in the oven to toast up and make my raita.
To serve, place some raita on the bottom bun. Place a piece of lettuce and one slice of tomato on the bottom bun, top with a fried chicken thigh, and a slice of cheese. Place a dollop of raita on the top bun and serve.
Mangia’s Raita Sauce
1 cup Greek style plain yogurt
Half an English cucumber, grated on large holes of a box grater
2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, minced
1 tbsp fresh dill, minced
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Sea salt
1 tsp honey, adding more if desired
In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients, adding sea salt and honey to taste. Place in the fridge for the flavors to meld for at least 30 minutes.
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Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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