Curry Fried Chicken Plate as served at Curry Fried Chicken in Salt Lake City, Utah, as seen on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, season 35.
Recipe courtesy of Curry Fried Chicken

Curry Fried Chicken

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  • Level: Advanced
  • Total: 4 hr 10 min (plus brining time)
  • Active: 1 hr 30 min
  • Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients

Garam Masala:

Chicken:

Lentil Curry:

Curry Fried Chicken Powder:

Chicken Breading:

Onion Sizzle:

Directions

  1. For the garam masala: Combine the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and peppercorns in a saucepan over medium heat. Toast the spices until fragrant, stirring, for 7 to 8 minutes. Let cool, and then grind in a spice blender until it becomes a fine powder.
  2. For the chicken: Add the water, curry powder, Garam Masala, garlic, ginger paste, lemon juice, salt, pepper and vinegar to a large tub. Mix well, and then add the chicken. Refrigerate and let brine for 24 hours.
  3. For the lentil curry: Add both lentils to a stock pot and add the water. Mix in the curry powder, Garam Masala, chile powder and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and let it boil for 20 minutes. Then lower the heat and simmer until the lentil are soft, about 1 hour.
  4. For the Curry Fried Chicken powder: Combine the curry powder, red chile powder, pepper and salt in a bowl. Add 1 cup of the freshly ground Garam Masala and stir to combine.
  5. For the chicken breading: Mix the flour, Curry Fried Chicken Powder, black pepper, red chile powder, curry powder and salt in a large bowl. Remove the chicken from the brine and dredge in the seasoned flour the chicken. Let sit on a baking tray for 20 minutes.
  6. Heat the oil to 300 degrees F in a large, deep skillet. Fry the chicken, in batches, until golden brown and the pieces float to the top, 15 to 18 minutes.
  7. For the onion sizzle: Heat the oil in a large fry pan over high heat. Add the onions, and fry, stirring constantly, until dark golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cumin at the end for 2 to 3 minutes. Top off the lentil curry with the onion sizzle. Serve with the curry fried chicken.