Donal Skehan: Home Cook airs Wednesdays at 8.30pm on RTÉ One.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
- 8 skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into strips
- 400ml buttermilk
- 100g corn flakes
- 2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- Pinch ground white pepper
- Sunflower oil spray
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red chilli, thinly sliced
- 6 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced diagonally
- 1–2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or use rice wine)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 brioche buns, lightly toasted
- 1 gem or 1⁄2 iceberg lettuce, shredded
For the spice mix:
- 1 tbsp Chinese five-spice
- 1⁄2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- Pinch ground cardamom
- Pinch cinnamon
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1⁄2 tsp white pepper
For the garlic & coriander aioli:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 clove of garlic, grated
- Pinch salt
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 125ml neutral oil
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- Small handful coriander, finely chopped
Method
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°C/350°F.
- Mix together all the ingredients for the spice mix and set aside.
- In a bowl, cover the chicken thighs with buttermilk.
- Add the cornflakes to a zip locked bag and beat the bag using a rolling pin until finely crushed and add about half the spice mix, all of the flour and a pinch of white pepper. Shake the bag to fully mix before transferring to a shallow bowl. Save the remaining spice mix for steps 9 & 10.
- Lift each chicken thigh piece with tongs, allowing any excess buttermilk to drip off and toss in the cornflake/spice mix, leaving each aside on a plate once coated.
- Line the air fryer with a sheet of parchment paper and add in the chicken thigh pieces, spraying all over with oil.
- Cook for 15-20 mins until cooked through (alternatively you can deep fry them in batches in hot oil for 5-8 mins).
- To make the garlic and coriander aioli, whisk the egg yolk, garlic, salt, rice wine vinegar and whisk well. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly until completely emulsified. Add the fish sauce and coriander and whisk to combine.
- Place a large frying pan over a high heat and once smoking, add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the red chilli and spring onions and stir-fry for 3–5 minutes until the chilli and spring onion are tender and translucent, before pouring in the Shaoxing wine and sesame oil. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of the remaining spice mix.
- To assemble, slather the aioli on toasted brioche buns and add some shredded lettuce. Place a piece of chicken on top, along with a spoon of the fried veggies and sprinkle a teaspoon of the spice mix on top and top with bun lids.
