One of our favorite recipe formulas is crispy fried something + Filipino stew reduced to a saucy gravy.
Example 1: Crispy chicken thighs + adobo sa gata gravy.
Example 2: This recipe for crispy fried chicken thighs + humba sauce. Think adobo but sweeter and richer, with banana blossoms and tausi.
Most of the work goes into the marination, which makes sure your fried chicken is infused with flavor. A simple flour dredge keeps things simple and straightforward. So does reducing the leftover marinade—equal parts soy sauce, vinegar, and pineapple juice—to form the sauce.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- 500g boneless chicken thigh fillets
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup neutral oil
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 60g banana blossoms
- 2 tbsp tausi (Chinese fermented black beans)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Marinate chicken: Combine soy sauce, vinegar, and pineapple juice in a bowl. Add chicken thigh fillets. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
Dredge chicken: Remove chicken from the marinade (save the marinade for later). Use a paper towel to blot away excess moisture from the chicken.
Add flour to a baking tray, then season with salt and pepper. Add chicken fillets to the flour mixture to coat on all sides.
Fry chicken: Heat neutral oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry flour-dredged chicken thighs at 350°F, turning to fry the other side, until golden brown. Transfer fried chicken to a metal rack or paper towel-lined plate. Season while hot with salt and pepper.
Make sauce: In a separate pan over medium heat, add marinade, water, and brown sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar. Once mixture starts to boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce thickens, 10 minutes. Add banana blossoms, tausi, and fried chicken into the sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve with hot rice.
Notes
Fry your chicken in bacon fat. Cook some bacon and save the drippings. If you have less than 1 cup, top off the bacon fat with neutral oil until you have enough for frying.
