Cooking Fried Chicken Sandwich

Our answer

Nigella's Fried Chicken Sandwich (from COOK, EAT, REPEAT) is an indulgent solo treat made with marinated and fried skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets. The chicken is dredged with flour twice before it is fried to give an extra crunchy coating. As it is only a single portion the chicken can be cooked in a wide saucepan or in a deep frying pan or skillet. Make sure that your chosen pan has enough space for the chicken thigh fillet to go in fully opened out and is not squashed into the pan.

The oil should be initially heated to 190°C/375°F and we suggest heating it on a medium to medium-high heat. If possible try to check the temperature with a jam (candy) thermometer or a digital probe thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer then drop a cube of dry bread into the oil. The oil should bubble as the bread cube goes in and the cube should turn golden brown fairly quickly (but not instantly). The oil temperature will drop slightly as the coated chicken is put into the oil and you should aim for a cooking temperature of 180°C/350°F. If the heat under the pan is fairly high then you may need to turn it down very slightly. After the chicken has been put into the oil, it should be cooking with some small bubbles coming off the chicken but should not be bubbling furiously. But if the oil around the chicken is not bubbling at all then you may need to turn the heat up slightly. The chicken should be cooked for 3-4 minutes on each side. If it is browning too quickly then turn the heat down slightly. When the chicken is on the paper-lined plate you can use the tip of a small, sharp knife to pierce the thickest part of the chicken (but don't make a big cut). If the juices seeping out are clear then the chicken is cooked. If the juices are pink or there are traces of blood then you need to return the chicken to the pan (make sure the heat is still at 180°C/350°F) and cook for a further minute or so on each side.