FEATURE RECIPE
Fried chicken and coleslaw rolls

Fried chicken and coleslaw rolls

The fried chicken served at St Katherine's restaurant in Melbourne is the inspiration behind this recipe. You'll need to begin it a day ahead.

Serves 8

Cooking Time Prep time 1 hr, cook 1 hr 15 mins (plus brining, refrigerating, cooling, proving, standing)



70 gm   fine sea salt
8   chicken thigh fillets
For deep-frying:   vegetable oil
500 ml (2 cups)   buttermilk
300 ml   milk
4   eggwhites
350 gm   plain flour
50 gm   rice flour
2 tsp each   onion powder and sweet paprika
1 tsp each   finely ground white pepper, garlic powder, finely ground dried thyme and dried oregano
½ tsp   cayenne pepper
Coleslaw with buttermilk dressing
400 gm   white cabbage (about ½), diced
2-4   golden shallots, to taste, finely chopped
100 ml   buttermilk
100 gm (⅓ cup)   good-quality mayonnaise
Juice   of ½ lemon
Large pinch   of caster sugar
¼ cup (about 1 bunch)   chopped chives
½ cup each   torn flat-leaf parsley and dill
Soft pull-apart rolls
185 ml   milk, plus extra for brushing
30 gm   butter
450 gm   plain flour, plus extra for dusting
15 gm   caster sugar
10 gm (about 1½ sachets)   dried yeast
1½ tbsp   olive oil, plus extra for greasing


1 Bring salt and 2 litres water to the simmer in a large saucepan over high heat, stirring to dissolve. Cool completely, add chicken and refrigerate to brine (overnight).
2 For coleslaw with buttermilk dressing, combine ingredients (except herbs) in a non-reactive container, season to taste and refrigerate for flavours to develop (overnight). Add herbs just before serving.
3 For soft pull-apart rolls, combine milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat and stir occasionally until melted (5 minutes). Remove from heat, add 135ml water and set aside to cool to lukewarm. Combine remaining ingredients with a large pinch of salt in a bowl. Add milk mixture and mix until smooth, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, adding more flour as necessary to form a very soft dough. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside until doubled in size (40 minutes). Knock back dough, knead until smooth, divide into eight and roll into balls. Place in a lightly oiled 22cm-diameter cake tin, leaving space between each to expand, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside until doubled in size (30-40 minutes). Preheat oven to 180C. Brush rolls with milk, dust with flour, then transfer to oven and bake, rotating tin occasionally, until cooked through and golden (20-30 minutes). Remove from oven and stand for 5 minutes, then remove from tin and cool completely on a wire rack.
4 Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over medium-high heat, drain chicken, add to boiling water and cook until just cooked through (8-10 minutes). Drain and set aside.
5 Heat oil in a large saucepan to 180C. Combine buttermilk and milk in a bowl. Whisk eggwhite to soft peaks in a separate bowl, then fold through milk mixture. Combine flours, onion powder, spices, garlic powder and herbs in a separate bowl. Dip chicken in milk mixture, dust with flour mixture, then repeat. Deep-fry in batches, turning occasionally, until golden and hot (5-7 minutes; be careful as hot oil will spit). Drain on absorbent paper. Stuff chicken and coleslaw with buttermilk dressing into soft pull-apart rolls and serve.

This recipe is from the February 2012 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.

Drink Suggestion Aussie chardonnay.

RECIPE Emma Knowles & Lisa Featherby PHOTOGRAPHY William Meppem STYLING Emma Knowles DRINK SUGGESTION Max Allen

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