Fried chicken with fluffy American pancakes, streaky bacon and maple syrup
An easy American brunch recipe that takes fluffy pancakes to the next level. No waffle maker required!
Ingredients
For the fried chicken
- 6 chicken wings
- 300ml/10fl oz buttermilk
- vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 1 tsp freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
- 200g/7oz plain flour
- 4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
For the American pancakes
- 225g/8oz plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 2 free-range eggs
- 300ml/10fl oz whole milk
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
To serve
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 rashers streaky bacon
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ red and ½ green chili, chopped
Method
To make the fried chicken, put the chicken wings in a glass bowl and pour over the buttermilk. Coat well, cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight.
When you are ready to cook, fill a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pan two-thirds full with the oil. Heat to 180C (a cube of bread should turn brown in 1 minute when dropped in.) CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.
Mix together the Sichuan pepper, salt, flour, paprika, chilli and five-spice in a bowl. Remove the chicken wings from the buttermilk and dip into the seasoned flour, coating each wing well. Carefully lower the wings into the fryer and deep-fry for 8–10 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.
To make the pancakes, put the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, break in the eggs and whisk. Gradually whisk in the milk.
Heat the oil in a medium frying pan and spoon the mixture into the pan to make pancakes about 10cm/4in in diameter. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until bubbles start to appear, then flip and cook for a further minute or until golden-brown. Cook in batches and keep warm.
To serve, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the bacon until crisp. Pile a few pancakes onto each plate and serve with the chicken and bacon on the side, a generous drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkling of chilli.
