Broasted chicken is a typically American chicken dish whose name is a registered trademark of the Broaster Company of Beloit, Wisconsin. The term “broasted” cannot be translated into Italian as it is a combined technique of pressure cooking, deep frying, marinating and breading. It is therefore impossible to perfectly replicate this type of cooking at home as the necessary tools are not available to the public. That said, no one forbids you to try to prepare your own “broasted chicken” with household tools, obtaining a more or less similar result.
Ingrediants
Broasted Chicken
For 4 people.
- 1 young chicken
- Three separate containers with 1 liter, 125 ml and 60 ml of water
- 50 g of salt and, in another container, another 5 g
- 15 g of Cajun blend (see below)
- 5 g of baking soda
- 3 g of ground black pepper
- 250 ml of rapeseed oil
- 100 g of corn starch
- 250 g breading (see below)
Cajun blend
For 50 g of mixture
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 2 and a half teaspoons of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon of dry vat
- Half a teaspoon of red chili powder
Breading
For 250 g
- 200 g of flour 00
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper
- Half a tablespoon of dried thyme
- Half a tablespoon of dry tarragon
- Half a tablespoon of chopped ginger
- Half a tablespoon of chopped mustard
- Half a tablespoon of salt flavored with garlic
- Half a tablespoon of dried oregano
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Making the Blends
Step 1. Combine the spices to make Cajun
In a small bowl, combine the salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, cayenne, oregano, thyme and chilli. Stir until smooth.
After mixing the spices, set aside a spoon for use in this recipe. You can store the rest in an airtight container inside your pantry. It will last for several months
Step 2. Mix the ingredients for the breading
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, salt, pepper, thyme, tarragon, ginger, mustard, garlic salt and oregano with the help of a whisk. Also in this case the final compound must be homogeneous.
These amounts should be sufficient for preparation, so you won't have any leftovers to store. If you decide to double the quantities, however, you can keep the rest in an airtight container. It will keep for a couple of months
Part 2 of 3: Prepare and Divide the Chicken
Step 1. Clean the chicken
Rinse it under running water and pat it dry with kitchen paper.
Step 2. Cut the legs
Twist them at the level of the joints and with a knife remove them from the rest of the body.
- Open one leg as far away from the body as possible and cut the skin to expose the underlying flesh.
- Bend the leg until the joint comes out of its seat.
- Detach it from the body by cutting through the joint as close to the spine as possible.
- Repeat the process with the other paw.
Step 3. Separate the thigh from the thigh
Locate the line of fat that separates them and cut along it to divide them.
- Repeat for the other paw.
- Know that the fat line identifies the point of the joint and that's where you need to cut, across the joint.
Step 4. Remove the inedible parts
Cut along the ribs and collarbones on both sides of the chicken's body. Use a sharp, clean poultry cutter for this. When you're done, pull the chicken's back and neck back.
- You should be able to remove the back and neck in one block.
- These parts are usually discarded, but you can use them to make broth. Put them in a sealed bag and store them in the fridge for 3-4 days maximum.
Step 5. Detach the chest
Use a sharp knife to remove it from the ribcage.
- Turn the chicken so that the breast skin is facing down.
- Insert the knife into the chest by detaching it from the neck and breastbone. With the blade, score the entire length of the sternum.
- Place your thumbs on the sides of the breastbone and bend the rib cage until the bone begins to protrude from the flesh. Detach the bone with your fingers and extract it.
- Divide the rest of the brisket in half with the knife. Make a cut along the mark left by the breastbone.
Step 6. Cut the wings
Cut the first one on the joint closest to the chest and then divide it in two at the height of the second joint.
- Repeat the process for the second wing.
- You should leave some brisket attached to the wings when you cut them.
Step 7. Divide the chest into quarters
Cut the previous halves in half to have 4 pieces in total.
The pieces should all be the same size as much as possible
Step 8. Soak the chicken in salted water for 60 minutes
In a bowl, pour 1 liter of water and 50 g of salt. Stir to dissolve the salt and let the meat rest for an hour.
Don't drain the chicken. When you remove it from the water, you must immediately pass it through the breading instead of drying it
Part 3 of 3: Cooking the Chicken
Step 1. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker
Pour the rapeseed oil and put the pot on the stove. The oil must reach 190 ° C.
Make sure your pressure cooker model can be used on the stove. It should have a flat bottom and no "feet" to lift it off the surface. Most of these pans are built with metals suitable for use on an open flame, but always check the instructions that are provided by the manufacturer
Step 2. Mix the toppings
In a large bowl, add the baking soda, a tablespoon of Cajun mixture, the breading, corn starch, pepper and salt.
Step 3. Add some water to make the batter
Slowly pour 125ml of water into the bowl without stopping stirring. Stop when you have a smooth and not too thick batter.
Less than 125 ml of water may be sufficient, so it is important to add a little at a time. The batter should be thin but not liquid otherwise it will not adhere to the chicken
Step 4. Bread the chicken
Remove it from the salted water with the help of kitchen tongs and put it directly into the batter. Turn the various pieces of meat to make sure they are completely covered. Work with one piece of chicken at a time, it needs to be well breaded.
- Hold each piece of chicken suspended above the bowl of salted water for a few seconds to drain the excess water. The skin should be wet but not soaked in water.
- The best thing would be to dip the chicken directly in the oil after passing it in the batter. If you place it on a plate first, some of the batter will be removed.
Step 5. Fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes
Put the various pieces in boiling oil until they become golden and crunchy.
When they are ready, remove them from the oil with the help of tongs and place them on a plate lined with several layers of absorbent paper. You must remove all the chicken before proceeding
Step 6. Eliminate excess oil
After frying the chicken, remove all the oil except 60 ml from the pressure cooker. Add 60ml of water to the pressure cooker before continuing.
- Do not use more than 60ml of oil while the pressure cook function is active. Oil and fats reach much higher temperatures than water and if you add too much it could overheat and cause burns.
- Add hot-boiling water to the oil to avoid the formation of steam and splashes.
- We strongly recommend that you wear oven mitts when performing this step to avoid burns yourself.
Step 7. Cover the pot and cook for 10-12 minutes
Return the chicken to the pressure cooker, close the lid tightly and continue cooking for another 10-12 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink in the center.
- Before putting the chicken back into the pot, make sure the basket or tripod is inserted.
- Read the manufacturer's instruction manual to find out how to activate the pressure regulator.
- Usually a pressure of 6, 8 kg is set. Always consult the instructions for your specific model.
- Do not try to open the pot while cooking.
Step 8. Remove the lid
Lift the pressure valve and let the steam escape completely before unlocking and removing the lid.
This step is essential because if you open the lid too quickly you could burn yourself with the cloud of steam coming out
Step 9. Drain the chicken
Remove it from the pot with kitchen tongs and place it on a plate lined with clean kitchen paper. Wait for the excess oil to be absorbed for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile the chicken cools down a bit. Although the meat must be very hot to be fully enjoyed, be aware that the internal temperature may be too high as soon as the chicken comes out of the pressure cooker
Step 10. Serve while still hot
Enjoy freshly cooked chicken!
- You can also store leftovers, but chicken cooked this way and then reheated becomes quite mushy, so it's best to consume it as soon as it's prepared.
- If you choose to store leftovers, place them in an airtight container and then refrigerate for up to 4-5 days.
Advice
- As mentioned before, you can't really "fry" a chicken at home under high pressure. If you want to eat a chicken cooked with the right technique, you need to go to a restaurant that includes it on its menu.
- To save time, consider buying ready-made mixes of spices and breading instead of making them yourself.
Warnings
- Do not use more than 60ml of oil or fat in the pressure cooker, it could cause fire, burns and other serious domestic accidents.
- Always read the manufacturer's instructions when using a pressure cooker. Pay particular attention to details regarding the amount of oil and water. If some of the instructions shown are different from those shown here, always follow the manufacturer's instructions.
