Wednesday 14 January 2015

Crispy Smashed Chicken


There is nothing spectacular about this dish. It is just a bunch of bashed up boneless skinless chicken breasts which are dredged in seasoned flour and then pan fried. Hang on a second. Chicken breasts? Skinless? Is this PH's blog?


You know how much I hate chicken breasts and the fact that it is skinless, even more so. My partner loves chicken breasts for the obvious fact that it has less fats. He even removes the skin. Me? No thank you, hand over the thighs and the drumsticks. And hey, handover the skin too.



The reason why I am doing this chicken breast thingy is because that's what the recipe is about. Something simple that you can prepare on a week night when you have no idea what to cook. Besides, chicken breast is easy to work with. Much as I love chicken legs, I will not slave in the kitchen getting it deboned. By the way, I don't cook on week nights. It is too time consuming and stressful. All my food is precooked and stashed in the fridge.



Prep work for this chicken dish is rather simple. Mix some flour with salt, pepper, chilli powder or whatever seasoning of your choice. Set is aside. Then put the chicken breast between two plastic sheets and bash it with a hammer. I mean a meat tenderizer that looks like a hammer. Or anything that you can use to bash up the meat. It's a great way to express your pent up angst while doing this. 



Once the chicken breast is thin enough (don't over do it), dredge it with the seasoned flour and pan fry the meat in a hot pan till browned on both sides. It is crispy while still hot, so you want to serve this pronto. You could eat this with chilli sauce or whatever sauce you like. Or better still serve it with Salsa Roja Asada



So how did I like the crispy smashed chicken breasts? It was alright, given that I like the crispy fried taste. Not bad at all. It went well with the salsa and is a better choice compared to tortilla chips, don't you think?










Crispy Smashed Chicken
Recipe source : Adapated from Nom Nom Paleo (page 197)

Ingredients :
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- Oil for frying
- 2 limes, cut into wedges (optional)
- Salsa Roja Asada or your favorite salsa (optional)

Method :
1. Place the chicken breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment. Then smash the meat with a meat pounder until the chicken is uniformly flattened into 1/2 inch thick pieces.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika and pepper.
3. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and pat off any excess.
4. Heat oil over medium heat in a large cast-iron skillet until hot.
5. One at a time, fry each chicken breast in the skillet, letting it cook undisturbed for 3-4 minuets before flipping. Then cook the other side for 3-4 minutes, or until the exterior is crisp and golden brown.
6. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack and tent it with foil while you fry up the remaining pieces.
7. Slice up the chicken pieces and serve with lime wedges and your favourite salsa.




This post is also linked to Cook-Your-Books #20 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

45 comments:

  1. when I see "Crispy Smashed Chicken" from the title, I straight away associated it with "Ayam Penyet", muahaha!! ooopsss sorry it's just something so different and has nothing to compare at all.. :p

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    1. Ya hor, Ayam Penyet which I have yet to eat! This is Mat Salleh version of penyet lah...

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    2. I see the guys selling Ayam Penyet would smash it with big chopper after deep frying them till crispy.

      No thanks to chicken skins unless they are fried crispy-crisp-crisp!

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    3. TM, I agree! Love crispy chicken skin :D

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  2. chicken breast, anytime for me!! I am one who prefers chicken breast than thigh.. and this smashed chicken looks so nice with the golden brown color, and I can feel the crispines too!! just the chicken would already be so delicious, and you somemore have the Salsa Roja Asada to go with it, not to mention the cherry tomatoes to brighten up the plate.. nice!!! :)

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    1. Actually chicken breast is the meatiest part and easiest to eat. So your preference is a good one though for me I just don't like the texture.

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  3. Smashed chicken? The word smashed very chicken.. Then I read read read, oooohhh, means you "teok teok teok" the chicken just like we "teok" our pork to make flat pork, or we "teok" 100x more to make minced meat, ok, got it! Haha.. Eh, your chicken dish very delicious la, looks like chicken chop, I like.. I can finish the whole thing, I love chicken chop, nothing can go wrong with chicken chop.. Skinless or with skin, come, bring !!

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    1. *The word smashed very canggih*
      See, this shows I keep thinking of your chicken (in the first picture) only when I'm commenting.. Really la, it's still now very fresh in my head..

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    2. hee..hee..Louiz yes, "teok, teok, teok" the chicken. Quite fun, you know doing all the "ketuk ketuk". But really, I still prefer chicken thighs or the drumsticks.

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  4. Smashed? I guess this is chicken chop...or ayam penyet?

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    1. Something in between I think. One day I have got to try Ayam Penyet :)

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  5. Liddat you kamching with J la. He loves chicken skin but doesn;t like the breast. Likes drumstricks


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    1. Meow, I also like drumsticks. So if J and I makan together sure fighting hah,,hah...

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  6. Looks very healthy ! I like !

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    1. Chris, the fried part maybe not so healthy but this one eat once in a while should be OK :)

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  7. Too bad i can only see from the screen and not able to eat it, sobssss... kaka...

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    1. Sharon, then you have to smash you own chicken and fry it. Then only can taste hee..hee...

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  8. I think you smashed it out of the park with this one even though they're chicken breasts coz it's thin (so it cooks quickly without drying out)....and crispy! And what's more...smashing the heck out of that chicken is a stress reliever :D Also, PH...why do you need to debone the chicken leg? If you buy from the wet market, you can request the chicken seller to debone for you.

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    1. Kris, I buy my chicken from Aeon and I don't think they have deboning service though they do chop the chicken on request.

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  9. Hi Phong Hong, you don't like this? Must say I like it very much especially when you can get crispy fried meat by just pan frying. Love the salsa that goes with it too. Thanks my friend for sharing this 'pent - up' dish, hehehe! Think I can use plain flour instead of tapioca flour?

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    1. Kimmy, it was OK for me as I am not a fan of chicken breast. Yes, you can use plain flour or even rice flour if you like. The pan frying part is not so fun as I had to clean up my stove hee..hee..

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  10. I'm ok with chicken breast or drumsticks, but not the wings...

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    1. Alamak, never mind Hayley. You can pass the wings to me hee..hee..

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  11. Phong Hong, if its crispy then I like, doesn't matter what meat ha haha. And your dish looks so yummy and delicious with the salsa sauce n cherry tomatoes...I will finish up everything on the plate.

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    1. Nancy, me too love it crispy. Especially roasted pork whoohoo!

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  12. Hi Pong Hong, the chicken looks good. I will put them in the wrap and with salad. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Hi Veronica! That's a good idea as I love wraps :)

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  13. Me loves chicken breast, I don't care about texture, I just care about easy to cook and easy to eat XD
    But I love the skin too..

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    1. Yeah, I noticed you use chicken breasts and I do agree that they are a lot easier to handle. Maybe I might start appreciating them :)

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  14. This dish is just right for me. Tasty!

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    1. Mun, I did remember that you prefer chicken breasts :)

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  15. I just had KFC on Monday, I prefer thigh than breast

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    1. Me too, Libby! I think thigh is the best part.

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  16. Phong Hong,
    If you make this, I would be glad to eat on your behalf as I like chicken breast meat ... hee..hee.. lovely golden crispy smashed chicken :D

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    1. Karen, you are another chicken breasts fan hah..hah...

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  17. Kwai Loes I heard.. they go for breasts.. we asians go for the thighs!! You and I can high 5.. I like the thighs better than all the other parts... smooth... soft.. tender.. hahaha...

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    1. Claire, that's what my mum told me years ago. I agree with you that thighs are the best part!

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  18. Hi Phong Hong,

    I'm the opposite from you... I prefer the chicken breasts and also when they are skinless... I can pass the thighs and skins to you... LOL!

    Good that you have transform these chicken breasts to something that you don't mind. Least that the smashing works!

    Zoe

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  19. Hi Phong Hong,
    This looks delicious! I'm with you, I prefer chicken thighs! But for a healthier meal, I would sometimes use chicken breast meat too.
    Your smashed chicken looks yummy served with the appetizing looking salsa!

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    1. Hi Joyce! I am slowly starting to accept chicken breasts, more for convenience and easy handling. But if someone else is cooking, I will demand for thighs hah..hah..

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  20. Looks so delicious, the more I look at it, the more hungry I am

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    1. hee..hee.. Libby you must try this then!

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  21. Hi Phong Hong,
    I am with you. I love the drumstick and the thigh but my hubby like chicken breast and my second love the the skin. So I would sometime use chicken breast to cook too.

    Your smashed chicken looks delish with the appetitzing salsa!
    mui

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    1. mui mui, high 5! But when it comes to duck, I don't mind the breast :)

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