Perfected your home-cooked fried chicken, all golden crust and juicy meat? Here’s how to take your passion for this golden goodness to new heights. (And if you're still working towards perfection, we’ve got you covered there too – get all our tips for perfect fried chicken every time right here)
1. Bao down in homage
Home-made fluffy bao. Kewpie mayonnaise. Golden deep-fried chicken strips (marinated in soy sauce and spices before cooking, for extra flavour). Need we say more? Get Tony Tan's recipe for chicken bao right here. (Even if you don't have time for home-made bao right now, you want to make the chicken!)
Chicken bao Source: Murdoch Books
2. Bake a cake
At first glance, it looks just like panko-coated fried chicken. But there’s no chicken here. Instead, it’s a masterpiece of clever baking from Steph Michaelis of the raspberricupcakes blog. Her ’Fried chicken’ cookie pop cake puts fried chicken cookie pops (an easier version of cake pops, using crumbled white Tim Tams and cream cheese) covered in cornflakes and shortbread “chips” on top of a Milo cake with condensed milk icing. 
Not what it seems... Steph's "fried chicken" cake Source: raspberricupcakes.com
3. Add honey
When Australia’s fried chicken king, Morgan McGlone of Belle’s Hot Chicken, drops in to cook for Action Bronson on The Untitled Action Bronson Show, Action chows down on the fried chicken like a starving man. (If you ever want to see how a man with a very big, bushy beard eats fried chicken, here’s your chance).
Fellow guest Adrienne C. Moore of Orange is the New Black is pretty happy too. “We are so into this chicken right now,” she says apologetically, as she and Action ignore requests for gossip on the new season of the show in favour of eating more chicken. But things go next level when Marina Marchese, an American honey sommelier (yep, it’s thing) arrives to talk hallucinogenic honey and shares samples of some slightly less startling spreads. McGlone drizzles a little honey on the fried chicken and Action pretty much loses his you know what. “Oh my lord, oh my lord,” he moans.
Source: SBS VICELAND
This one is easy to DIY – just pick your fave from SBS Food’s fried chicken collection and give it a go.
SBS Viceland is screening this one for the nightowls at 12.25am on Tuesday 27 February; it will then be available on SBS On Demand, where you can also catch plenty more of The Untitled Action Bronson Show.
4. Stuff it
Sandwich good. Fried chicken good. Fried chicken sandwich extra good. Here are two most excellent ways: Put fried chicken as the filling, or turn the fried chicken into the stuff that holds the filling together.
Option one, a chicken sub with kimchi mayo:
Option two, chicken and vegetable katsu, a lighter take on the popular Japanese pork dish:
Source: China Squirrel
Source: Cook Japan / Bloomsbury
5. Popcorn it
Little bits of crunchy goodness. Just like popcorn. But chicken. Popcorn chicken – yan su ji – is a popular street food in Taipei, and once you try Adam Liaw's popcorn chicken recipe you’ll see why.
Lead image by raspberricupcakes.com
Source: Steve Brown / Hachette
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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
