Colombi-Asian Fried Chicken with Kick-in Sweet Potato Fries

Colombi-Asian Fried Chicken with Kick-in Sweet Potato Fries

By: Hidemi - Plainfield, IN - 2016 Recipe Contest

"I got inspired by my mother’s fried chicken. I thought adding coffee would make more savory and richer flavor. I was right and thank my mother a lot! She cooked fried chicken only for special occasions since my father didn’t care for meat when I was a child. Fried chicken was my dream food! Now I cook fried chicken with different spices or sauce but this is my favorite and reminds me of my childhood and my family in Japan which is why this recipe is very special for me."

This is a Door County Coffee Fan recipe. It was not made in the kitchens of the Door County Coffee Café.

Ingredients

Featured ingredient: Colombian Coffee 10 oz. Bag Ground

For fried chickens:

    • 4 Bone-in Chicken thighs with Skins (total about 2 lb.)
    • 2 tablespoons Soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons Rice wine (sake)
    • 1 tablespoon Mirin
    • 1 tablespoon Brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon Crushed red pepper
    • 1/2 cup Strong brewed Door County Colombian Coffee
    • Cornstarch for coating chicken thighs
    • Peanuts oil for deep-frying

For Sweet potato fries:

    • 2 small Sweet potatoes (0.3 lb. each)
    • 5 tablespoons Strong brewed Door County Colombian Coffee
    • 1.5 tablespoons Brown sugar
    • 1/8 teaspoon Salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon White sesame seeds
    • 1/8 teaspoon Ground cayenne pepper
    • Peanuts oil for deep-frying

Instructions

  1. Make marinade sauce for chickens: In a medium-large bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, soy sauce, rice wine, mirin, crushed red pepper and 1/2 cup of coffee.
  2. Put the chicken thighs into the bowl, mix to combine and put the bowl in a refrigerator for 3 hours (up to overnight).
  3. Take the chickens bowl out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before start to cook. Put enough cornstarch to coat chickens into a shallow plate or bowl, work in batches.
  4. Put enough oil to deep-fry chickens in a cast iron skillet or heavy frying pan and turn on the heat to medium-high. When the oil gets hot, reduce heat to medium.
  5. Remove excess marinade sauce from chicken, dredge the chicken in cornstarch, dust off excess cornstarch then put into the skillet/frying pan. Deep-fry chickens until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
  6. Repeat this until all chicken is fried.
  7. Make sauce for sweet potato fries: In a medium-large non-stick skillet or sauté pan, put 5 tablespoons of coffee, 1.5 tablespoons of brown sugar, salt and cayenne, and stir to combine. Turn on the heat to medium-low. Simmer titling the skillet/pan occasionally until thickened (13-15 minutes).
  8. In the meantime, make sweet potato fries: Peel and cut each sweet potato lengthwise into about 1/4 inch stick. Work in batches if necessary.
  9. In another heavy frying pan or cast iron skillet, put in sweet potatoes and enough oil to cover sweet potatoes. Turn on the heat to medium heat. Deep-fry sweet potatoes until golden brown, crisp outside and tender inside. Drain on paper towels.
  10. When the sauce for the sweet potato fries are ready, put sweet potato fries into the sauce skillet/pan. Toss to coat then add sesame seeds and toss to coat. Put friend chickens and sweet potato fries on serving platters.