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Northern Fried Chicken courtesy of Blue Ribbon and The Bromberg Brothers

Northern Fried Chicken courtesy of Blue Ribbon and The Bromberg Brothers
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Pictured above…
Northern Fried Chicken with a Watermelon and Arugula Salad
There are times when I just don’t want to post a recipe because it’s just too good.  It’s not that I am trying to keep it from you.  It is just that once a recipe hits Chewing the Fat, that’s the last Andrew and I will see of it.  We’ll move on to something else to cook. We may be still drooling over a cake that was moist perfection, or a savory pie that tastes out of this world. In the interest of creating content for Chewing the Fat, we will suck it up and move on.  But when it came to this particular recipe, I have been keeping it from you. I’ve made about five times.   It’s so perfect, we just wanted to eat it again and again.  
         Who doesn’t love Fried Chicken?  From the crunchy, crispy coating that you first sink your teeth into, to the juicy, moist meat underneath, as pure comfort food, it has no equal.  And who would guess that the absolute best fried chicken would hail from New York and a couple of Jewish guys whose recipe has taken the town by storm.
The Bromberg Brothers, Eric and Bruce, own a mini-Empire of Blue Ribbon Restaurants. They opened the first Blue Ribbon on Sullivan Street in New York on 1992.  The Blue Ribbon family of restaurants has since grown to include: Blue Ribbon Sushi (1995), Blue Ribbon Bakery (1998), Blue Ribbon Brooklyn (2001), Blue Ribbon Sushi Brooklyn (2003), Blue Ribbon Market (2005), Blue Ribbon Downing Street Bar (2007), Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill (2007), Brooklyn Bowl (2009), and Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill Las Vegas(2010). Whew! They even found time to write a really good cookbook. At every Bromberg restaurant—even where Sushi is king–you will find their amazing fried chicken. Blue Ribbon Sushi’s version is served with wasabi honey.  
The spice mixture gives this Fried Chicken its kick

What makes this recipe so incredibly good?  There’s no overnight soaking in buttermilk, nothing complex at all.  There’s a bath in egg white followed by a dip into a simple mixture of Flour and Matzo meal.   Matzo meal gives this chicken its Northern moniker.  But it’s two other elements that add immeasurably to its delicious taste.  The first is a simple spice mixture with Cajun overtones that you sprinkle as generously as you like over the finished chicken. It adds just the right note of salt and spice to the dish. And there’s a drizzle of honey that delivers the coup de grace, a lovely encounter with sweetness atop the crispy chicken.

Bee’s Needs Honey is locally produced
and gives the dish a sweet coup de grace

The last time I made this recipe, I was having 8 people to dinner so I made 3 chickens.  It was so popular three of the guests asked to take some home.   It’s worth making a lot of it because the leftovers can be quickly re-heated and the honey drizzled over them to get the whole affect.  There is a lot of splatter with this dish and I’d use a deep pan to try minimize it.  Also, be sure the separate the dark meat from the white and cook the former about three minutes longer.  Even though the breasts may be bigger in size, they dry out if you cook them too long. 10 minute seems ideal.  The golden crust is as good an indicator that the chicken is done as any thermometer.  I cook the chicken in batches, putting what’s been cooked into the warming oven. Ours has three heat setting and also a ‘dry/moist’ lever.  I set the heat on high and the lever to dry.  I leave the chicken in the oven until serving time.  I am sure you can serve this at room temperature but we like ours hot.  And please don’t leave forget the honey. It’s the icing on the cake.  Here’s the recipe:

Northern Fried Chicken from the Bromberg Brothers

July 6, 2018
: 4
: 10 min
: 30 min
: Simple

A fantastic take on Fried Chicken made even more flavorful with a Spice and Salt blend then drizzled with honey.

By:

Ingredients
  • Canola Oil for frying
  • 1⁄2 tsp. hot paprika
  • 1⁄8 tsp. each cayenne pepper, dried basil,
  • 
 dried parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder
  • 4 egg whites, beaten
  • 1⁄2 cup flour
  • 1⁄2 cup matzo meal
  • 1⁄4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 3-lb. chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Honey, for dipping
Directions
  • Step 1 1. Pour oil to a depth of 2″ in a 5-qt. Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 375°.

  • Step 2 2. Combine paprika, cayenne, basil, parsley, and garlic and onion powders in a bowl, set aside. Put egg whites into a bowl. Combine flour, matzo, and baking powder in another bowl.
3. Working with one piece at a time, dip chicken in egg whites and press into matzo to coat. Shake off excess
  • Step 3 Transfer chicken to a rack set inside a baking sheet. Working in 2 batches, fry chicken until crispy and cooked through, 10–12 minutes. Transfer chicken to paper towels and season with salt, pepper, and the reserved paprika mixture. Serve with honey.


4 thoughts on “Northern Fried Chicken courtesy of Blue Ribbon and The Bromberg Brothers”

  • Very interesting – the South is having a fit, but this certainly was a surprise! New York Jewish brothers fried chicken – luv it! I don't think I've ever seen Matzo meal, but then again, I've never looked for it. The recipe is friendly, and the coating looks very light, but crispy. And you are right, need to do this with a crowd as the two person home here, would plow thru a whole fryer full, and I am not a big fan of any reheated fried food. You mentioned you used a deep pan for 3 birds, have you ever tried it with a fryer or other? I have a fryer, but for the portion, I would probably go with cast iron skillet. Thank you Monte – it's been a long time since we had fried chicken!

  • Ana, you'll find Matzo meal in the ethnic foods section. As far as the pan goes, I have an old cast iron pot that I use exclusively for frying. But it was not big enough to hold even one chicken–never mind 3. So I did the legs and wings, the thighs and breasts separately. I wish I had a fryer but honestly, this is about the only dish we 'fry'. I do love how the word
    "saute" had replaced 'fry' in the cooking lexicon. Do make this! If you use Canola Oil, it's practically diet food! 😉

  • OMG – this chicken is delicious. My Southern sister-in-law was coming to visit and I thought this was the perfect time to try Northern fried chicken. I had no problem finding Matzo meal even in my Texas supermarket. I fried it outside on a single burner attached to the grill. No mess! I served it with carrot orzo, one of our favorite side dish. The meal was a huge hit !

    • Nothing but nothing could warm this Northerner’s heart that know that Northern Fried Chicken was served and loved deep in the heart of Texas. Thanks so much for writing!

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