Coleslaw and southern fried chicken

This salad of shredded cabbage, known simply as 'slaw' in many parts of the United States, is of Dutch origin. The word coleslaw comes from the word koolsla, a conjunction of kool (cabbage) and sla, a shortened version of salade (salad). It is believed that Dutch colonists near Long Island were the first to grow cabbage in America. The Americanised 'coleslaw', the first recorded reference to which appeared in 1794, added mayonnaise to the earlier Dutch versions of the recipe.

Credit: Feast magazine / John Laurie

• serves

  6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 150 g (1 cup) plain flour
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 125 ml (½ cup) buttermilk
• 4 chicken thigh cutlets (see Note), cut in half, skin on
• 4 chicken drumsticks, skin on
• vegetable oil, to deep-fry

Coleslaw

• 200 g sour cream
• 150 g (½ cup) mayonnaise
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ white cabbage, core removed, shredded
• ¼ red cabbage, core removed, shredded
• 1 carrot, grated
• ½ red onion, finely chopped

Instructions

To make coleslaw, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and mustard in a bowl. Toss cabbages, carrot and red onion in a large bowl. Pour over sour cream mixture and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until needed.

Combine flour, paprika, salt and black pepper in a shallow bowl. Place buttermilk in a separate shallow bowl, add chicken and turn to coat. Coat in flour mixture, shake off excess and transfer to a plate.

Fill a deep-fryer or large saucepan one-third full with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat to 170°C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 15 seconds). Working in 4 batches, gently drop chicken pieces into the oil and fry, turning halfway, for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Serve immediately with coleslaw.

Note

• Available from selected supermarkets and poultry shops.

• As seen in Feast magazine, Issue 9, pg67.

Photography by John Laurie

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.