RECIPE: Make Juniper Cafe’s Vietnamese Hot Fried Chicken
Is it possible to get the recipe for Juniper Cafe’s Vietnamese Hot Fried Chicken? It’s flavorful and has a nice kick without being too spicy. — Jamila Jones, Stone Mountain
Juniper’s Cafe chef-owner Ron Hsu shared this recipe for the restaurant’s crisp, spicy fried chicken and its cooling slaw counterpart.
At the restaurant, they prepare the marinade with a blender. Since the turmeric in the marinade will stain plastic, Hsu suggests either using an immersion blender if the jar of your stand blender is plastic or simply whisking the mixture together. Similarly, when rubbing the marinade into the chicken, use plastic gloves to protect your hands from staining.
The fried chicken is always available on the dinner menu, it and will be featured on Juniper Cafe’s special Easter Sunday brunch.
- 4 cups buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 6 tablespoons turmeric, divided
- 6 tablespoons onion powder, divided
- 4 tablespoons garlic powder, divided
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 6 teaspoons salt, divided, plus more for seasoning fried chicken
- 1 tablespoon sugar, plus more for seasoning fried chicken
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
- 1 teaspoon thinly sliced Thai bird’s eye chile
- 1 (3-pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- Canola oil, for frying
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 2 cups rice flour
- MSG, to taste
- Chile Oil (see recipe), to taste
- Cabbage Slaw (see recipe), for serving
- Slivered green onion and cilantro sprigs, for garnish
- To the jar of a blender or large bowl, add buttermilk, egg, 4 tablespoons turmeric, 4 tablespoons onion powder, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, smoked paprika, 4 teaspoons salt and sugar. Blend or whisk until smooth to make a marinade. Add mint and chili and blend just enough to finely chop but not puree them.
- Arrange chicken in a large bowl and cover with marinade. Using your hands, rub marinade into chicken, massaging for several minutes. Cover chicken and marinade and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to fry, remove chicken from refrigerator. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. In a Dutch oven, heat at least 2 inches of oil to 325 degrees.
- Meanwhile, in a wide bowl, mix cornstarch, rice flour, remaining 2 tablespoons turmeric, remaining 2 tablespoons onion powder, remaining 2 tablespoons garlic powder and remaining 2 teaspoons salt.
- Starting with the legs and thighs, remove chicken pieces from marinade and allow excess to drip, but do not shake too much. Pieces of mint should still cling to chicken. Put first chicken piece in dredging mixture and press mixture into all sides.
- Carefully put thighs and legs in hot oil, but do not crowd. Fry about 12 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of meat reaches 165 degrees. Move legs and thighs to the prepared baking sheet. Fry the breasts and wings about 10 minutes, or until a thermometer reaches 165 degrees, then move to baking sheet.
- Sprinkle fried chicken with salt, sugar and MSG to taste. Dress chicken with generous amount of chile oil, stirring to make sure it is well mixed so chicken is brushed with both oil and chile pulp.
- Divide slaw between serving plates. Top with chicken and garnish with green onions and cilantro sprigs. Serves 4.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 958 calories (percent of calories from fat, 60), 46 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 63 grams total fat (12 grams saturated), 195 milligrams cholesterol, 1,092 milligrams sodium.Chile Oil
This chile oil is very spicy. If you have sensitivity to peppers, wear gloves while preparing it, and be aware that while the chile oil is heating, it will emit strong fumes. Do not breathe the fumes directly.
- 1 cup crushed red pepper flakes
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 shallots, minced
- 2 tablespoons cayenne
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 5 Thai bird’s eye chiles, stems removed, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Szechwan peppercorns
- 2 cups canola or grapeseed oil
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, shallots, cayenne, honey, vinegar, chiles, salt, Szechwan peppercorns, and salt. Process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium saucepan over low heat.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm oil to 300 degrees.
- Slowly add hot oil to pepper mixture, 1 ladle at a time, stirring after each addition until everything is well combined. Continue adding oil until all is used. Raise heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 300 degrees. Cook 10 minutes, remove from heat and let cool. Once cool, can be covered and refrigerated up to 4 weeks. Makes 3 cups.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 92 calories (percent of calories from fat, 88), trace protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 9 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 73 milligrams sodium.Cabbage Slaw
To preserve the crunch of the vegetables, this slaw is best served fresh. Prepare the vegetables and the dressing before you fry the chicken, then combine the vegetables and dressing when ready to serve. At the restaurant they use a mandoline to cut thin strips of carrot and jicama.
- 1 head napa cabbage, core removed, thinly sliced
- 2 large carrots, cut into thin strips or grated
- 1 small jicama, cut into thin strips or grated
- 1 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
- Leaves from 4 sprigs mint, roughly chopped
- In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, jicama and red onion.
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar and salt.
- When ready to serve, pour dressing over vegetables and stir to combine. Stir in sesame seeds and mint and serve immediately. Makes 8 cups.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per 1-cup serving: 144 calories (percent of calories from fat, 48), 1 gram protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 8 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 6 milligrams cholesterol, 787 milligrams sodium.From the menu of ... Juniper Cafe, 2260 Marietta Blvd. NW, Atlanta. 470-427-3057; juniper-cafe.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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