Pica Pollo

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg chicken drumsticks and thighs
• juice of 2 limes
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 4 tsp white vinegar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 200 g plain flour
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• 1 litre vegetable oil, for frying

Method

1. Wash and season

   Rub the chicken with lime and vinegar, rinse and dry it, then season with garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Leave it four hours if you can.

   4 h

2. Dry the surface

   Pat the pieces properly dry before flouring. Wet chicken makes the coating slide off in the oil and it is the commonest reason home pica pollo comes out bald.

3. Season the flour too

   Mix the flour with the paprika and garlic granules and coat each piece firmly, pressing it on. Unseasoned flour makes a crust that tastes of nothing sitting on top of chicken that tastes of everything.

4. Fry lower and longer

   Fry at 165°C for twelve to fifteen minutes. Bone-in pieces this size need time, and hotter oil gives you a dark crust over raw meat at the bone.

   15 min

5. Rest and serve with tostones

   Rest on a rack for five minutes so the juices settle. Pica pollo is served with tostones and a wedge of lime, and it is the food of a Saturday night, not a dinner party.

   5 min