Peruvian Chicharron de Pollo - Fried Chicken

Speaking of fried chicken...well, we were speaking of fried chicken, right? Recently, I had just deep fried some tofu for the Missus and really wanted to maximize my use of the oil for deep frying. I'd been keeping the Chicharron de Pollo recipe from Copeland Mark's The Exotic Kitchens of Peru marked for a while and this was the perfect chance to try out the recipe.

While Pollo ala Brassa rules the poultry scene, I'd say Chicharron de Pollo runs a decent second place. Though you can't turn a corner without running into a rotisserie chicken joint in Peru, the Chicharronerias have "the sell" down pat. During lunch hours on Pampas de Castillo in Cusco the Chicharronerias will wheel their portable fryers out onto the sidewalk and the smell of frying chicken and pork will create a mouth-watering, almost edible cloud of deliciousness......

The recipe from Copeland Marks is quite basic, but I appreciated the mild "Chifa" influence in the recipe. I've mentioned the wonderful Chinese influence in many posts before, so I won't go into it again.

The recipe calls for chicken breast, but I prefer dark meat and a good skin to meat ratio so I went with boneless chicken legs from Marukai. I also added some oregano and cumin for a more complex flavor, though I think I'll pass on the cumin next time. The recipe also uses both lemon juice and white vinegar, which turned out to work fairly well. The chicken is dredged in cornstarch which gives it a lighter, very crisp coating which doesn't take anything away from the skin.

Anyway....here goes....

Chicharron de Pollo:

1 1/2 lb boneless chicken leg (chicken prepped for karaage is good)
1 Tb premium Chinese soy sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
3 cloves garlic finely grated
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp white vinegar
oregano and cumin if desired to taste

cornstarch
canola oil

- Mix all ingredients except for cornstarch and marinate chicken for 20 minutes
- Dredge chicken in cornstarch and fry in 350 degree oil until cooked

I made a little Salza Criolla and used some rocoto paste to add some zip....this brand is just ok.

 Man, I was just thinking, has it almost been five years since we visited Peru. Looking through my posts, I noticed that I never posted a photo of anything in Lima's Chinatown aka Barrio Chino. Looking though my photos, I only have a couple of photos from the area, here's one.

You know, I'm kinda missing Peru right now.....

Comments

[kat]

that looks so good!

[Janfrederick]

Awesome timing! I am making a made up recipe of "Mexican" fried chicken wings tonight (couldn't really find much online). I am marinating the chicken right now in lemon, white vinegar, garlic, ground chili, and a few dashes of Maggi sauce. So pretty similar. I might just go for the cornstarch too for crispiness. I made a nice pico and will serve with beans and rice.

I got the idea after watching Zimmern eating fried chicken necks in TJ. I thought fried chicken and pico would go good together. I also have seen it on the menu (fryed chicken LOL) at De Soto's in Mira Mesa.

[Dennis]

Mmmm, looks good!

[Kirk]

Hi Kat - This turned out pretty good

Hi Jan - I'd like to hear how it turned out!

Hey Dennis - it was pretty tasty.

[Janfrederick]

Wonderful! But Undersalted for the missus' tastes. Dang ol' high blood pressure! Man, I'll do it again!

[Kirk]

Hi Jan - Well, it sounds like you're almost there.... I noticed that you didn't include salt in the recipe you shared.

[Janfrederick]

I actually didn't put salt in the marinade because I was worried about drying out the meat. So I added it just before frying. But that being said, guess what MY missus' complaint was? ;)