Crispy Fried Chicken (Pakistani Broast Style)
کرسپی فرائیڈ چکن (پاکستانی بروسٹ اسٹائل)
Every Pakistani city has its broast shop: a pressure fryer hissing behind the counter, a quarter or half chicken served on a bun with fries and a pot of garlic sauce. Pressure fryers aren't safe at home, but you can get very close with an overnight spicy , a rough and : the first fry cooks the chicken through, the second makes the crust shatter. Bone-in pieces stay juiciest.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr 5 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 35 min
- Medium
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Make 2 deep cuts in each thick piece of chicken so the brine and heat reach the bone. Mix the milk, water, brine salt, chili powder, black pepper, ginger garlic paste and lemon juice, add the chicken, cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before frying. Mix the flour, cornflour, paprika, pepper, oregano, baking powder and coating salt in a large tray, then drizzle in 3 tablespoons of the brine and rub it through to make small lumps.
Dredge each piece in the flour, dip it quickly back into the brine, then press it firmly into the flour again, squeezing so the coating clings in rough layers. Rest on a rack for 15 minutes while the oil heats.
Heat the oil in a deep to 160°C. Fry 3–4 pieces at a time for 12–14 minutes, turning every few minutes, until light golden and cooked to the bone (75°C, or clear juices when pierced). Lift onto a rack and fry the rest.
Raise the heat so the oil reaches 185°C, then fry the pieces again for 1–2 minutes until deep golden and very crisp. Drain on a rack and rest 5 minutes before serving.
Serve broast-style: a piece or two on a soft bun with fries, coleslaw and garlic mayo.
Kitchen notes
Don't try to copy shop broast with a home pressure cooker full of oil. It is dangerous; double frying gives a very similar result safely.
A kitchen thermometer makes frying much easier. Without one, a cube of bread should brown in about 60 seconds at 160°C and in 30 seconds at 185°C.
Leftovers re-crisp in a hot oven or air fryer (200°C, 8–10 minutes). The microwave makes the crust soggy.
The broast shop at home
“Broast” was a pressure-frying method from the United States that reached Pakistan decades ago and became a word of its own. A broast shop serves chicken that is juicy inside with a thin, crisp skin, usually as a quarter or half chicken on a soft bun with fries, coleslaw and garlic sauce. Fried-chicken chains later added the thicker, craggy crust that most people now love.
Why double frying works
Pressure fryers cook chicken fast without drying it, but they are industrial machines and dangerous to imitate at home. is the safe answer. The first, gentler fry at 160°C cooks the chicken right to the bone without burning the coating. A short second fry in hotter oil drives out the last moisture from the crust, so it turns deep golden and stays crunchy for much longer.
The brine and the crust
Soaking the chicken in a spicy overnight seasons the meat through and keeps it juicy. Milk or thin lassi softens it further. For the crust, the goes flour, brine, flour, pressed on hard; the little lumps you rub into the flour become the crispy flakes.
Serving and leftovers
Serve with garlic mayo, coleslaw and masala fries. Use the same chicken for a zinger burger or cut into strips for a crispy chicken wrap. Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge; re-crisp them in a hot oven rather than the microwave.
Questions people ask
Why is my fried chicken raw near the bone?
The oil was too hot, so the outside browned too fast. Fry the first round at 160°C for the full time, and use the second, hotter fry only for colour and crunch.
Can I skip the milk?
Yes, use all water. Milk or lassi gives a slightly more tender, mellow result, the same reason Southern US cooks use buttermilk.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 620
- Protein
- 48 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
