Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Serves 4

•  1 all natural chicken, cut up into 8 pieces
• 3 tablespoons + ¼ cup kosher salt, divided
• ½  cup coarse ground black pepper, divided
• ½ cup granulated onion, divided
• ½ cup dried oregano flakes, divided
• 1 quart buttermilk
• 6 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Canola oil

Lay the chicken in a single layer on a platter or sheet pan. Using 3 tablespoons kosher salt, ¼ cup black pepper, ¼ cup granulated onion, ¼ cup dry oregano flakes, season the chicken liberally, coating all sides.

Transfer the seasoned chicken into a large bowl. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken and use your hands to “stir” until all the chicken is nicely coated. Allow the chicken to marinate for 1 hour or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

Next, in a large, heavy flat-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron), heat canola oil to 350˚.

Place the flour in a large (9x13) baking dish. Add the remaining ¼ c kosher salt, ¼ c black pepper, ¼ c granulated onion, ¼ c dry oregano flakes and the paprika and stir with a whisk to blend thoroughly.

Coat the chicken a few pieces at a time with the flour. Gently shake off the excess flour and carefully place the chicken in the hot canola oil. Take care not to overlap the chicken as it cooks.

Cook each piece to 165 degrees and place on a wire rack to cool.

Coconut Poached Chicken Bok Choy Salad

By Chef Johanna Hellrigl, Doi Moi Restaurant
Serves 4

For the chicken:
1 can coconut milk
2 red Thai chilies, minced
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
⅓ cup water
1 tablespoon grated galangal
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 kaffir lime leaf
1 pound chicken tenderloins

For the salad:
2 large bok choy, thinly sliced stems and a few of the leaves
1 cup mint leaves, chopped
1 cup Thai basil leaves, chopped
1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
½ cup green onion, sliced diagonally
½ cup raw cashews, toasted and roughly chopped
Salt, to taste

Dressing:
2 Thai red chilies, minced
2–3 tablespoons lime juice
¾  cup reserved coconut milk broth

To make the Coconut Poached Chicken, in medium-sized pot over medium-high heat add all of the ingredients for the except the chicken. Bring to boil, then add the chicken. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken and the broth to cool for at least 20 minutes.

In the meantime, prep salad ingredients and put them in a large bowl. (Chef’s note: Make sure that you slice all the white stems of the bok choy rather than the leaves. This will add texture to the salad.)

When the chicken has cooled, remove and shred it with 2 forks; add it to the salad bowl.

To make the dressing, crush the 2 Thai chilies with a mortar and pestle with 2 tablespoons of lime juice. For a less-spicy salad, simply reduce the number of chilies. Add the chile and lime mixture to ¾ cup of reserved coconut milk broth from the chicken.

Add as much dressing as you like to the salad and toss it until well coated. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Add an extra squeeze of lime juice or serve with lime wedges for extra acidity and freshness.

Serve immediately. If you are not serving immediately, add the fresh herbs right before serving.