Name: Fried chicken, fermented honey, chilli mayonnaise and pickled cucumber
Total time: 2 h
Ingredients: 500g of red chillies; 15g of salt; 250g of raw honey; 50g of water; 2 garlic cloves; 2 Scotch bonnet chillies; 1 cucumber, chopped into 0.5cm thick slices; 10g of salt; 200g of cider vinegar; 100g of water; 50g of sugar; 5g of turmeric; 1/2 red chilli; 1000g of water; 50g of salt; 500g of chicken breast, chopped into bite sized pieces; 25g of cracked black pepper; 25g of chilli powder; 250g of buttermilk; 2 egg yolks; 20g of sugar; 25g of miso paste; 25g of Dijon mustard; 30g of cider vinegar; 300g of neutral oil; 15g of salt; 100g of plain flour; 100g of potato starch; 100g of cornflour; 5g of onion powder

Starter
Easy
4
2 hours, plus fermenting and pickling time

PT2H

This fried chicken recipe from Ollie Templeton takes the ever-popular dish to a new level. Fried chicken is served with pickled cucumbers, a fermented honey glaze and a fermented chilli mayonnaise.

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Fermented chilli

500g of red chillies
15g of salt

Fermented honey

250g of raw honey
50g of water
2 garlic cloves
2 Scotch bonnet chillies

Pickled cucumber

1 cucumber , chopped into 0.5cm thick slices
10g of salt
200g of cider vinegar
100g of water
50g of sugar
5g of turmeric
1/2 red chilli

Chicken

1000g of water
50g of salt
500g of chicken breast , chopped into bite sized pieces
25g of cracked black pepper
25g of chilli powder
250g of buttermilk

Mayonnaise

2 egg yolks
20g of sugar
25g of miso paste
25g of Dijon mustard
30g of cider vinegar
300g of neutral oil
15g of salt

Chicken dredge

100g of plain flour
100g of potato starch
100g of cornflour
5g of onion powder
5g of garlic powder
5g of paprika
5g of white pepper
5g of cayenne pepper

To assemble

neutral oil, for deep frying
Maldon salt to season
freshly ground black pepper to season

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Wire rack
Deep fat fryer

Place the red chillies in a blender and whizz to a paste. Weigh this paste, then calculate 3% of its weight - this is the exact quantity of salt you will need, which may vary from the quantities given here (500g chilli paste will need 15g of salt)

15g of salt
500g of red chillies

Combine the salt and chilli paste and transfer to a sterile jar. Seal and allow to ferment for 5 days, opening the jar daily to release any gases that may have built up - this is known as ‘burping’

Combine all the ingredients for the fermented honey in a jar and mix well. The added water will allow for the honey to start to ferment. Stir the honey daily for 6 days, then you can start using it

250g of raw honey
50g of water
2 garlic cloves
2 Scotch bonnet chillies

Place the cucumber slices into a colander, sprinkle with the salt and toss to combine. Leave for 30 minutes over a sink or bowl, to allow the moisture to drain out

1 cucumber , chopped into 0.5cm thick slices
10g of salt

Meanwhile, make the brine by combining the vinegar, sugar, water, turmeric, and red chilli in a saucepan and heating until the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool

200g of cider vinegar
50g of sugar
100g of water
5g of turmeric
1/2 red chilli

Place the salted cucumbers into a sterilised jar or container. Pour over the cooled brine and leave to pickle overnight

To make the chicken brine, pour the water into a large bowl and whisk in the salt until fully dissolved. Submerge the chicken in the brine and refrigerate for 12 hours

1000g of water
50g of salt
500g of chicken breast , chopped into bite sized pieces

The next day, remove the chicken from the brine and cover with the cracked black pepper and chilli powder, making sure the surface is well covered. Submerge in the buttermilk and refrigerate again, ideally overnight

25g of cracked black pepper
25g of chilli powder
250g of buttermilk

To make the mayonnaise, combine the yolks, sugar, miso, mustard and vinegar into a food processor

2 egg yolks
20g of sugar
25g of miso paste
25g of Dijon mustard
30g of cider vinegar

With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil, adding a few drops at first then building to a thin stream. Once all the oil is incorporated, add the salt to taste

300g of neutral oil
15g of salt

Add fermented chilli to the mayonnaise to your taste - I like 5 parts mayo to 1 part chilli but it’s important to find a heat level that you enjoy

A few hours before you want to cook the chicken, make the dredge by combining all the ingredients and mixing well (this can be stored for at least a month)

100g of plain flour
100g of potato starch
100g of cornflour
5g of onion powder
5g of garlic powder
5g of paprika
5g of white pepper
5g of cayenne pepper

Remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk and coat them well with the dredge then spread out over a wire rack to allow air to flow underneath - this will help dry the chicken and make the outside extra crisp

To cook the chicken, heat oil for deep frying to a temperature of 170°C. Add the chicken pieces to the hot oil and cook for 3 minutes, taking care not to overcrowd the pan

neutral oil, for deep frying

Combine 2 tablespoons of the fermented honey and 1 tablespoon of the cucumber pickle brine, a pinch of Maldon salt and some black pepper to a bowl and mix to combine

Maldon salt to season
freshly ground black pepper to season

Once the chicken is cooked, toss it with the honey and pickle brine glaze. Spoon the chilli mayo onto the plate and top with the chicken, followed by a spoonful more of the mayo. Top each chicken piece with a pickled cucumber slice

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Ollie Templeton

Brought up in Spain, Ollie Templeton moved back to the UK as a teenager to pursue a career as a chef. After cutting his teeth in the kitchen at Moro, he set up Carousel – a restaurant and creative hub in London – along with his brother and cousins, where he both serves his own menu and hosts an ever-changing line-up of guest chefs.