A few weeks ago, Alicia posted this.

It stuck in my brain, because it seems a far less messy way of cooking something that I love. Obviously my brain decided it want something else after a while, because it sort of slipped away. My brain is always filling up with recipes and ideas of what to cook, so something’s bound to fall out somewhere along the way.

Today I am home alone. Husband doesn’t really like chicken on the bone, and I love it, so on the way home from work I found some juicy looking chicken thighs in the trust Co-op, and decided there and then that I wanted Fried Chicken for dinner. The drawback being that I hadn’t had time to marinate it in buttermilk, but I figured it would work out okay in the end. I did my usual make it up as you go along.

I also read this article to get the method, and off we went.

It did indeed work out okay in the end.

3 large chicken thighs, skin on.

1 tbs Old Bay Seasoning (This is a wonderful spice mix, and integral to my cupboard)

1 tsp celery salt

4 cloves garlic, whole

3 tbs wholemeal flour

1 tsp fine polenta

Light olive oil (NOT extra virgin)

Pour 1.5 cm of oil into a high sided pan, with a lid. I used my mock Le Creuset casserole dish. Good and heavy.

Heat the oil with the garlic cloves in it, until it slowly comes to a heat, and the garlic cloves turn golden brown.

Remove the cloves, and turn the heat up.

Mix the spices, flour and polenta together in a bowl, then smoosh the chicken into it to coat it all over. (A low carb way with coating is to use dried parmesan, not flour. Omit the celery salt though or it will be too salty.)

When the oil is hot enough to brown a cube of bread quickly, put the chicken in.

Put the lid on, turn the heat down and simmer for 6 minutes. (A timer is your friend.)

Turn the chicken over, and simmer, covered, for another 6 minutes.

Take the lid off, turn the heat right up, and fry the chicken until properly dark golden on all sides, uncovered.

Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack. 

The high sides of the pan reduce splatter to almost nothing. I felt quite safe cooking this way! I had put newspaper down on the floor just in case, but it wasn’t needed at all.

Ok, I will admit that the skin on the thighs curled up on two of them but OMG CRUNCHY SALTED CHICKEN SKIN.

I dusted some green beans in the spice mix too, and chucked them into the hot oil once the chicken was out. Nice and juicy, with crispy bits!