Calamansi-Ginger Fried Chicken with Pineapple Slaw

Everybody and their grandmother has a fried chicken recipe from here to Manila. This recipe is inspired by my own Lola Toyang. (lola is grandma in Tagalog) It wasn't so much as the exact recipe of how she made her fried chicken but the whole process about it. I was about 10 years old when I first had the chance to watch her cook. She comes from a generation of frugality and was clipping coupons long before it was reality t.v. filler. There were always trays of chicken legs and thighs in the freezer because they were cheap and I would get so excited when I would see them defrosting in the sink.

Her process begins with deboning the legs and thighs, but kept the skin on. Making fried chicken without the skin is illegal in at least half the states. Trust me. She didn't move particularly fast when she cooked but she was very deliberate about everything. Every piece of chicken was inspected through her squinting eyes. Then she would squeeze a few calamansi  over the pieces and she massaged them carefully so as not to have the skin come off, then to the fridge to marinate. Towards the afternoon, after Days of our Lives and As The World Turns, she would saunter back in to the kitchen and prepares her flour mixture. Her secret was powdered soup packet. That's what was mixed in with the flour and she would lightly dredge the pieces of chicken and they fried low and slow to a perfect golden brown. For years I watched her make this and never did she half-ass the process. It was consistent and it was made with pride and integrity. My dad got that from her and I'd like to think it rubbed off a bit on me when it came to the kitchen.

Calamansi-Ginger Fried Chicken with Pineapple Slaw

Calamansi-Ginger Fried Chicken

4 pieces chicken thighs skin-on, boneless cut in to four pieces each.
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp calamansi juice (can substitute lime juice)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 cup sweet potato flour, or potato flour. absolute last choice would be corn starch.

marinate the chicken at least 2 hours in the fridge but overnight is best

heat up the oil to 350 degrees. season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper on both sides. when the oil is hot, lightly does the pieces in the sweet potato starch and pat any excess off. once you have all the pieces in, turn the fire a bit lower to get a lower simmer on the oil which will insure that the skin crisps up nicely but not over dry up the meat itself. 7-8 minutes cooking time. never put deep fried items on plates or bowls lined with paper towels. they will get soggy and you will lose the crunch. instead place them on a rack. 30 minutes after taking the photos of this dish and the chicken was still quite crispy.

Pinapple Slaw

1/2 head of cabbage shredded
1 carrot shredded
1/2 medium sized yellow onion thin sliced
1 cup diced pineapple (canned crushed pineapple is fine)

2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp distilled vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
pinch white pepper
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup sugar

whisk until smooth and dress the cabbage mixture. keep in the fridge for at least 1 hour so the the flavors merry.

our calamansi tree