Tuesday 6 March 2012

Crispy Pretzel Chicken

Last week I was lucky enough to spend a week doing some work experience at BBC Good Food in London. For five amazing days I milled about the office doing a bit of writing, a lot of eating, and generally getting a really solid insight into the world of food journalism. I also found my dream job. No longer will I daydream about becoming a world-famous rockstar or athlete, I am now focussed on becoming a professional recipe-tester. Incredible. So in homage to my new friends in White City, I tried a recipe from their most recent issue. And yes, it is most certainly good food.
Everyone loves fried chicken, and everyone loves smashing things with a rolling pin. This recipe involves both. Leftover from when I had friends over a week ago, I had a sandwich bag full of about 100g of a couple different kinds of pretzels and a few tortilla chips - grab a rolling pin or wine bottle and bash them these until you have a nice bag of crumbs.
If you enjoy bashing pretzels, you're gonna love flattening yourself some chicken breasts. Do it between some cling film of baking parchment to avoid little chunks of salmonella-y goodness flying around your kitchen.
Preheat the oven to 200C and get a nice little chicken station going here. First rub your flattened breasts in seasoned flour, then in an egg wash, then roll in your pretzel crumbs. This is a horrifically messy process, but the reward is there..and if you impress enough with the chicken then you might even get out of doing the dishes. Bang them on a foil-lined baking tray, pour a bit of olive oil on top and stick them in the oven for about 35 minutes, until they're crisp, golden and delicious.
I am a big fan of a KFC, but these fellas knock the colonel's fat ass out. The dressing here is key. 100ml of wholegrain mustard, 4 tablespoons of golden syrup, one teaspoon of white wine vinegar. Pour it all over, serve with a healthy dollop of mash and some greens. Easy. Delicious.

The editor of Good Food Magazine gave me and my blog a Twitter shout-out. Is it weird that this is one of the coolest things that's ever happened to me?

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