Buttermilk fried chicken salad with burger bun croutons
Create a decadent salad for supper with crispy buttermilk fried chicken pieces, silky cheese sauce and a devilishly spiced mayo.
Ingredients
For the fried chicken
- 4 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces
- 150ml/5fl oz buttermilk
- 150g/5½oz plain flour
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 4 sheets filo pastry, cut into shards around 1–2cm
- 1 free-range egg, beaten
- oil, for deep frying
For the sriracha mayo
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp sriracha
For the cheese sauce
- 10g/â…“oz unsalted butter
- 10g/â…“oz plain flour
- 200–300ml/7–10fl oz full-fat milk
- 250g/9oz cheddar, grated
- pinch cayenne pepper
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- 2 Little Gem lettuces, shredded
- 1 bread roll, cut into 1–2cm cubes and fried
- 50g/1¾oz jalapeño chillies
- pickled red onion rings
Method
To make the fried chicken, place the chicken pieces in a bowl with the buttermilk. Mix well then place in the fridge to marinate overnight.
The next day, preheat some oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
Mix together the plain flour, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, filo pastry shards and egg in a bowl. Dip the marinated chicken pieces into the batter, then deep-fry until golden. This will take 6–8 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces. Keep warm.
Meanwhile, to make the sriracha mayo, mix the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter and flour together in a saucepan over a medium heat, then whisk in the milk, cheese and cayenne pepper until combined. Continue to cook, stirring until the cheese has melted and the sauce is hot. Season with pepper.
To serve, pile some lettuce in a serving dish with the croutons and dress with the sriracha mayo. Top with the fried chicken, jalapeños, pickled onion rings and finish with the cheese sauce.
