Masala Fried Chicken
Air-fried Indian-spiced chicken thighs marinated in a buttermilk-cilantro-chile masala and dredged in a crunchy oat-and-flour coating.
ā±ļø Prep: 20 minš³ Cook: 8 min
Ingredients
| 1 1/2 pounds | 680 g | boneless, skinless chicken thighs |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | buttermilk |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | fresh cilantro leaves |
| 2 | serrano chile peppers, stemmed | |
| 1/2 inch piece | fresh ginger, peeled | |
| 2 cloves | garlic | |
| 8 | curry leaves (optional) | |
| 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | salt, or to taste |
| 3/4 cup | 180 ml | rolled oats |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 ml | whole black peppercorns |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | rice flour |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | all-purpose flour |
| 1 teaspoon | 5 ml | salt, or to taste |
| 1 tablespoon | 15 ml | coconut oil, or as needed |
Instructions
PREP TIME: 20 min Ā· COOK TIME: 8 min Ā· READY IN: 3 hr 28 min
Appliances: For best results, use a Mealthy CrispLid.
- Cut each chicken thigh in half, trim extra fat, and pound to flatten the pieces; transfer to a bowl.
- Combine buttermilk, cilantro, serrano chile peppers, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor and blend until marinade is evenly combined. There will be some texture to the marinade.
- Pour marinade over chicken; cover and marinate in the refrigerator, 3 hours to overnight.
- Add rolled oats and peppercorns to blender or food processor and process until oats are fine; mix in rice flour, all-purpose flour, and 1 teaspoon salt. Transfer oat mixture to a shallow bowl.
- Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Dredge chicken in oat mixture until well coated and dry to touch. Shake any excess oat mixture back into bowl.
- Set CrispLid trivet in inner steel pot of pressure cooker and set fryer basket on top of trivet. Place coated chicken pieces in a single layer in the fryer basket, working in batches. Drizzle coconut oil over chicken.
- Set CrispLid on top of inner steel pot and plug in. Set to 450Ā°F (230Ā°C) and cook until no longer pink in the center, about 8 minutes. A thermometer inserted near the center should read at least 165Ā°F (75Ā°C). Lift the lid using the handle and set it on the silicone mat.
- Repeat with remaining chicken.
Mealthy Tip: For the best flavor use coconut oil to cook. The chicken can be prepared in a large quantity and then frozen and used as desired. Make this gluten-free by using gluten-free oats and gluten-free all-purpose flour.