In many Jewish households, Fridays are for chicken. A roasted chicken for Shabbat is as commonplace as fireworks on the Fourth of July. If you’re creating a Jewish home, or a home with a Jewish flavor, a great way to do so is by sharing a delicious Shabbat or holiday meal. I love gathering with friends and hearing about their grandmothers’ roast chicken or the best roast chicken they had at a friend’s house growing up.

This time of year, it is hot outside and having the oven on for a long time roasting a chicken is less appealing. For Canada Day (July 1st) and Independence Day (July 4th) we’ve got this simple fried chicken recipe, which is perfect for a picnic, and as always, the secret is in the sauce. The dipping sauce for this recipe is all about Canada Day because it’s a sweet maple syrup sauce that explodes with flavor thanks to some Dijon Mustard (a nod to Bastille Day, July 14, perhaps) and some fresh minced garlic.

Picnic Fried Chicken with Maple Dipping Sauce

(serves 6-8)

Special equipment needed: a candy thermometer to measure the heat of the oil.

Chicken Ingredients:

• 2 full chicken breasts with the skin on (this will be four pieces)
  If the chicken breasts have the bones ask your butcher to split the breasts and remove the bones for you.  
• 1 full skinless boneless chicken breast (this will be two pieces)
• 1 400 ml can of coconut milk, divided
• 1 cup of water, divided
• 2 tsp. of smoky paprika (if you only have one kind of paprika just use that twice)
• 2 tsp. of sweet paprika, divided
• 1 tsp. of salt
• 1 tsp. of pepper
• 3 tsp. of cider vinegar, divided
• additional salt and pepper to season chicken
• 2 cups of all purpose flour (optional 1 cup rice flour and 1 cup of all purpose flour)
• 1/2 cup of corn starch
• vegetable oil for frying: enough to fill your pot about 1 1/2 inches which should be no more than 1/3 of the way up the pot.
  (I like canola or peanut oil)

Dipping Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
  I prefer the dark/grade B maple syrup
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tsp. of Dijon mustard

Note: I make two different soaks for the chicken. One is more child-friendly and is a bit milder. My daughter does not like pepper so the children’s chicken is pepper free. I also make chicken strips for the children that cook quickly and are perfect for little fingers to hold.

The chicken is made in two steps: soak & fry.

Soak

1. You will need two bowls: one for the children’s chicken and one for the adult’s. In the larger bowl (adult bowl) mix the coconut milk and 1 cup of water. Whisk the mixture together and then pour 1/3 of the mixture into the other bowl (kid’s bowl).

2.  To the adult bowl, add 2 tsp. of smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp of sweet paprika, 2 tsp. of cider vinegar, 1 tsp. of salt and 1 tsp. of pepper.

3. To the kid’s bowl add 1 tsp. of cider vinegar and 1 tsp. of salt.

4. Whisk the mixtures in each separate bowl until everything is combined.

5. Place the 4 chicken breast pieces that have skin into the adult bowl. If the chicken is not submerged you can add a little bit of water. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but I prefer to soak overnight.

6. Take the boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut them into 1-inch strips with scissors or a kitchen knife.

7. Place the chicken strips into the kid’s bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but I prefer to soak overnight.

Fry

1. Take the bowls out of the refrigerator and remove the chicken from the cold coconut milk soak to a wire rack over a tray. Let the chicken sit for a while so that some of the chill is removed from the meat. The coconut milk will begin to “melt” off the chicken. Let the soak drip off and remove any excess coconut milk before you coat the chicken in flour.

2. Fill your pot no more than 2 inches high with your oil and warm it up over medium heat until it reaches 375 degrees.

3. In a large plastic bag add 2 cups of flour, 1/4 cup of cornstarch, 1 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. of pepper and mix well with a whisk.

4. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Then put the chicken into the flour mixture in batches. Shake to coat.

5. Have a baking tray or plate ready with a double layer of paper towels for the chicken to drain on as each batch is ready.

6. The full chicken breasts take 20 minutes to fry. Once your oil has reached 375 degrees, you can start frying in batches. I like to put a timer on for 5 minutes at a time. Every 5 minutes you can turn the chicken in the oil. After 4 turns the chicken will be ready. Take it out with a slotted spoon or very carefully with tongs and place it on a plate layered with two paper towels. Sprinkle the chicken with a little salt and pepper to finish. The chicken strips take only about 8 minutes and can be done in two or three batches. Turn them every two minutes.

Dip

In a measuring cup pour 1 Tbsp. of honey, 3 Tbsp. of maple syrup, 1 clove of garlic minced, and 1 tsp. of Dijon. Whisk together. Add a pinch of salt to taste.

Happy Fourth of July and Canada Day!