Skip to content
Open menu Close menu

Feed your appetite for cooking with Penguin’s expert authors

penguin logo

ZFC (Zuu Fried Chicken)

by Big Zuu from Big Zuu’s Big Eats

Choose from one of three equally mouth-watering styles of fried chicken from Big Zuu: coated in Doritos, seasoned with Maggi, or fried with Rice Krispies.

Introduction

I grew up on fried chicken. I am black, yes, but we can all agree we would take a bullet for the Colonel’s secret 11 herbs and spices recipe. Although I may not have my own thriving chicken franchise, these recipes will give you the power to become your own bossman.

Doritos Fried Chicken: This was on the first episode of Big Eats and became a signature dish of the series. The recipe then went viral after a young man’s father expressed his admiration for his son’s new-found love of cooking, which was ignited by seeing people like me, Tubsey and Hyder cheffing it up on the telly.

Maggi Fried Chicken (MFC): Here’s some fried chicken that we sent on a tour of West Africa. What they established on their journey was that the Maggi cube is the quintessential essence of West African cuisine. This beautiful little block of all-purpose seasoning will bring to your chicken what it’s been missing.

Golden Nuggets: Do you know why there are three white bruddas on the front of a Rice Krispies box, but only one chicken on a box of cornflakes? Me neither, but I did fry some chicken nuggets with Rice Krispies and it came out pretty good.

Read more Read less

Tags

Ingredients

500g chicken tender or nuggets, or chicken legs or drumsticks or wings
2l vegetable oil, for deepfrying (if using a saucepan; if using a deep-fat fryer follow manufacturer’s instructions for oil)
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
For the brine for the chicken tenders or nuggets:
100ml buttermilk
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
For the brine for chicken legs, drumsticks or wings:
250ml buttermilk
1½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1½ tsp salt
For the Doritos Fried Chicken dredge*:
50g plain flour
25g cornflour
25g rice flour
50g Doritos, blitzed in a food processor or finely crushed, plus extra Doritos to garnish
For the Maggi Fried Chicken (MFC) dredge*:
50g plain flour
25g cornflour
25g rice flour
1 Maggi or other vegetable stock cube
½ tsp chilli powder
50g roasted peanuts, finely chopped, to garnish
For the Golden Nuggets dredge*:
80g rice flour
40g rice cereal (e.g. Rice Krispies), blitzed in a food processor or finely crushed
20g panko breadcrumbs

Method

Prep time: 20 minutes. Marinade time: 2+ hours. Cook time: 20 minutes.

*Note: double the dredge quantities if using legs, drumsticks or wings.

To make the brine, mix the buttermilk with the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and mix well to coat in the brine, then cover and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours in the fridge.

For chicken tenders or nuggets, preheat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 165˚C or heat the oil in a deep saucepan over a low–medium heat to 165˚C.

For chicken wings or legs and drumsticks, preheat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 140˚C or heat the oil in a deep saucepan over a low heat to 140˚C.

To dredge the chicken, mix all your chosen dredge ingredients together in a large bowl. Using tongs, dip the chicken pieces into the dredge, moving them around to coat very well.

To cook tenders or nuggets, carefully move the pieces from the dredge into the hot oil, working in batches. Fry for 4–5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper, season and serve.

To cook wings or legs or drumsticks, carefully move the pieces from the dredge into the hot oil, working in batches. Fry for 12–15 minutes, turning a few times during cooking to make sure the coating is browning evenly. When golden brown and cooked through (the interior temperature of chicken should be above 72˚C when measured with a meat thermometer, or insert the tip of a knife or skewer into the thickest part; the juices will run clear if it is cooked – if you see any trace of pink, carry on frying or, if they are well browned on the outside, transfer to a foil-lined baking tray and cook for a further 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 195˚C/175˚C fan/Gas 5), drain on kitchen paper, season and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Zuu hacks: Play with your favourite flavours! You can add spices and textures to the brine or dredge for delicious variations.

Comments are closed.

newsletter

Subscribe to The Happy Foodie email newsletter

Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week