JFC (Jamie’s fried chicken)

Name: JFC (Jamie’s fried chicken)
Cook time: 95 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 800g sweet potatoes; olive oil; 2 heaped tablespoons fine cornmeal or polenta; 2 heaped tablespoons Cajun seasoning; 1 x 1.6kg whole free-range chicken; 2 cloves of garlic; ¼ of a white cabbage; 1 eating apple or pear; 1 small onion; 1 heaped teaspoon wholegrain or English mustard; 3 heaped tablespoons fat-free natural yoghurt; optional: 20g feta cheese; 1 bunch of fresh dill (20g); 130g ciabatta or stale bread; 2 heaped tablespoons plain flour; 4 frozen mini corn on the cob

With sweet potato wedges & crunchy slaw

1 hr 35 mins

Not Too Tricky

serves 4

About the recipe

The love of chicken in a bucket up and down the UK is clear to see. So, here's a tasty, homemade version with upgraded chicken and two exciting veggie sides. Enjoy JFC!

nutrition per serving

Calories

35%

Fat

23%

Saturates

19%

Sugars

23%

Salt

33%

Protein

121%

Carbs

31%

Fibre

of an adult’s reference intake

Recipe From

Jamie's £1 Wonders & Money-Saving Meals

By Jamie Oliver

FIND OUT MORE WATCH THE SHOW

Ingredients

800g sweet potatoes

olive oil

2 heaped tablespoons fine cornmeal or polenta

2 heaped tablespoons Cajun seasoning

1 x 1.6kg whole free-range chicken

2 cloves of garlic

¼ of a white cabbage

1 eating apple or pear

1 small onion

1 heaped teaspoon wholegrain or English mustard

3 heaped tablespoons fat-free natural yoghurt

optional: 20g feta cheese

1 bunch of fresh dill (20g)

130g ciabatta or stale bread

2 heaped tablespoons plain flour

4 frozen mini corn on the cob

Top Tip

If you don’t want to cook a whole chicken, simply swap in 4 chicken legs (1kg) – they’ll cook in the same amount of time.

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.
Scrub the sweet potatoes clean, slice into wedges, then spray or drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil and toss in a large roasting tray with 1 heaped tablespoon of cornmeal or polenta, 1 heaped tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
Cut up your chicken (see my tips on how to joint a chicken below – you'll need to split the legs into thighs and drumsticks for this recipe as described in step 8), then remove and discard the skin and lay the pieces on a large baking tray (or keep the skin on, if you prefer).
Spritz or drizzle the chicken with 1 tablespoon of oil and the remaining cornmeal or polenta and Cajun seasoning, squash over half the garlic through a garlic crusher, then toss and massage to coat the chicken. Place the chicken tray on the top shelf of the oven, pop the wedge tray underneath and cook for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, coarsely grate the cabbage, pear and peeled onion using a box grater. Tip into a bowl and mix with the mustard, 1 tablespoon of oil, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and the yoghurt, then season to perfection. Crumble over the feta, if using, and pick over the dill fronds.
Peel the remaining garlic and whiz in the food processor, then pulse in the bread and ½ a tablespoon of oil until you have fine breadcrumbs. Tip onto a tray. In a bowl, mix the flour with 4 tablespoons of water to make a paste.
When the time’s up, remove the chicken from the oven, then carefully brush the pieces with the flour paste and use tongs to firmly press them into the breadcrumbs until they’re all evenly coated.
Return the tray to the bottom of the oven, quickly turn the wedges and cook for a further 40 minutes, or until the chicken and sweet potatoes are golden and cooked through, rolling the frozen corn into the chicken tray (so it picks up all the lovely seasoning) and cooking alongside for the final 30 minutes. Take everything to the table, get excited and dig in.

Adapted from Save with Jamie by Jamie Oliver, which is published by Penguin Michael Joseph © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2013 Save with Jamie).

How to joint a chicken

Knowing how to joint a chicken is a really brilliant skill to have. Don't be scared – it's super simple, and you can buy a whole chicken for just a little bit more than the cost of two chicken breasts. Plus, you have the benefit of the drumsticks, thighs, wings and carcass to do many other delicious things with too, so it can be very economical. Please give it a go – all you need is a plastic chopping board (put a damp cloth underneath to secure it) and sharp chopping knife, and you're away.

Here's what to do:

1. Use your chopping knife to cut the skin between the breast and the leg.

2. Lever the leg away from the carcass, until the bone pops out of the socket.

3. Use the tip of the knife to cut the leg away from the carcass, angling the tip towards the carcass so you get as much meat on the leg as possible.

4. Use the heel of the knife to chop down through the joint of the wing.

5. Feel the breastbone down the centre of the bird, then use the middle of the knife to cut vertically along it, to separate the breast from the bone.

6. Use the tip of your knife to cut between the breast meat and the carcass, slightly angling the knife towards the carcass in a stroking action.

7. Cut down between the breast and the carcass to remove the breast, angling the knife towards the carcass to ensure the breast is as meaty as possible.

8. Repeat all these steps for the other side of the bird. You can leave the legs whole, or cut them into thighs and drumsticks. To do this, use the middle of the knife to cut firmly in one confident movement through the joint at the natural bend of the leg. Save the carcass for making stock.

Tags

Chicken Meat Jamie's Friday Night Feast Budget-friendly Sweet potato Apple Feta

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