Fried Adobo Chicken
(Chicharrones de Pollo — Dominican Republic)

Yield: 6 to 8 appetizer servings or 4 main dish servings

Ingredients

Adobo

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Chicken

• 1 (3 pound) frying chicken, drumsticks and wings intact
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• Vegetable oil (for frying)

Instructions

Adobo

1. Combine lime juice, soy sauce and garlic in a large bowl.

Chicken

1. Cut each breast into 4 pieces and each thigh into 2 pieces; rinse and pat chicken dry. Toss chicken pieces in the adobo so that they are thoroughly coated. Marinated the chicken, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, turning the pieces after 2 hours have elapsed.
2. Mix together flour, paprika and black pepper in a medium shallow dish. Shake the adobo off the chicken pieces and roll them, one by one, in the flour so that they are evenly coated.
3. Heat 2 inches vegetable oil in a deep fryer, kettle or large deep skillet to 325 degrees F.
4. Fry the chicken in batches of 4 pieces until golden, approximately 6 minutes per side. The drumsticks will take a little longer to cook. Do not fry more than 4 pieces at once or the oil will cool down during cooking. Drain chicken on paper towels. Arrange chicken on a baking sheet and keep warm in a low oven.
5. Cook the remaining 3 batches of chicken and serve at once.