Easy fried chicken

Just like that - prepared and cooked with minimal fuss and oh, so tasty! So much so, that the ole' colonel from UFC (Unidentified Fried Chicken) is sniffing around for the recipe for my secret blend of herbs and spices, but I reckon he's the one who's onto the money, judging by the worrying piles of knawed fried chicken bones scattered around town! I was happily sitting on the bus one sunny day last week, when it suddenly clouded over for a few seconds - what had just happened, I wondered? It turned out we'd just passed a KFC so large, it made T5 look like a dog kennel! Only in Peckham, I thought! But the answer continues to evade me; what's the fuss with all these chicken shacks? Opinions, please?

Ingredients

3 chicken leg pieces

For the marinade
1/2 tsp salt
2  large minced garlic cloves
1 level tsp black pepper
1 tbsp Maggi sauce, available from all good ethnic supermarkets

For the coating
3 slices wholemeal bread
1/2 tsp hot chilli powder
A pinch of salt

Utensils
Food processor

Start this recipe by washing the chicken and cutting each leg into two pieces - I also removed the skin on mine, but that's entirely optional. Put chicken into a large bowl and score randomly. Add salt, garlic, Maggi sauce and black pepper and rub well into flesh, ensuring marinade is pressed into slits - this enhances the flavour nicely - set aside.

Toast or grill the bread until crisp and break up roughly and add to the food processor - blend into fine bread crumbs and add to a bowl, mix in the chili and a pinch of salt. Finally, whisk the egg in a separate bowl. Now, heat approx 2 cm of oil in a pan until very hot - test the temperature by dropping a crumb into the oil, if it sizzles, you're ready to fry! Roll each chicken piece in the egg and then dip into bread crumbs, making sure each piece is covered well, place the chicken into the oil and fry for about 5 minutes on each side. Once all the chicken has been fried, transfer to a foil covered tray and place in a pre-heated oven for 25 minutes. Remove and devour with carefree abandon! Also, marries well with jollof rice!