Recipe: Good Ol' Fried Chicken and Mojos

Recreating Shakey's famous Chick n' Chips wasn't easy until now. I still couldn't get their 11 secret herbs and spices...or was that KFC?? Well at least I got the technique...well almost. And this is my tamad version.

INGREDIENTS:

• Pieces of chicken drumstick with thighs or any choice parts that you prefer. (I like Bounty Fresh brand because it doesn't have that poultry feed smell. We used to run a small poultry business back in the province and I know how a dressed chicken should smell.) Washed well, dried and soaked in evaporated milk. Just enough to keep them moist.

• A packet of Crispy Fry brand of seasoned fried chicken breading. (This is why I call it tamad.)

• Potatoes (Choose the large spuds and scrub the skins clean with veggie wash and plenty of water. You may opt to use baking soda and water. Rinse well) Slice them in wedges or mojos style with skin on. Pat dry.

PROCEDURE:
Dredge the chicken pieces in the breading mix as directed in the packet. Set aside. Coat the potatoes in the same breading mix. Dredge the chicken pieces again in the remaining mix and fry in hot oil. The more layers of breading mix stays on the chicken longer the crispier it becomes when fried. Turn the chicken over when one side becomes nicely browned and cover. Lower the heat to a medium and let it cook though for about 8-10 minutes. At this point, the chicken breading becomes soft. Open the cover when its fully cooked and turn up the heat again to make the chicken crispy on both sides.

Do thesame thing with the potatoes. Dip in breading again (add more if necessary) and fry these without cover in medium heat until half cooked. Remove from heat and refry them again in a higher temperature until crispy on the outside.

BONUS: Home Made Gravy
Make a roux with 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon flour. Brown the flour on low heat further until golden in color. This will be your guide to the color of your gravy. Add 1/4 of the commercial chicken cubes (another tamad method instead of chicken stock) and 3/4 cup to a cup of either water or unseasoned stock. Heat until thickened. If too thick, add more liquid. If too thin, heat until reduced to a desired consistency. Keep in mind that the gravy will thicken more as it cools down. You may add ground black pepper if you like. (If you are really tamad, skip the gravy and use catsup.)

Serve with the chicken and mojos with a side dish of mashed potatoes.

Enjoy.