Remove the chicken from the marinade. Discard the leftover marinade. Pat the chicken pieces with paper towels. You want them moist enough for the coating to stick, but not so wet that it slides off.
Coat the marinated chicken well with the seasoned flour mixture.
Fry the Chicken:
Place the vegetable oil for frying into a deep-sided frying pan, or use a deep fryer if you have one. Heat the oil over medium-high heat to 360 F (182 C).
4 cups vegetable oil
Don't overheat or under-heat the oil. You want the chicken to start cooking when you place it in the oil, but not spatter hot oil.
Don't crowd the pan with the chicken. Fry it in batches until golden brown outside and completely cooked inside (about 4 minutes per side). The chicken should not be pink in the middle. The Food and Drug Administration recommends 165 F (74 C).
Place chicken on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the oil. Keep the chicken warm until you are ready to serve it.
Mojito Garlic Dipping Sauce:
In a blender or food processor, add olive oil, garlic, onion, cilantro, lemon juice, lime juice, and salt and blend.
1 cup olive oil, 1 head garlic, 1 small onion, 3 tbsp cilantro, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp lime juice, salt
Process until all the ingredients are incorporated and the garlic and onion are thoroughly broken down.
Transfer to a non-reactive bowl (a non-reactive bowl is one made of a material that does not react chemically with the citric acids in the lemon and lime, such as stainless steel, glass, or ceramic). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Mayo-Ketchup Dipping Sauce:
Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, and garlic in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup ketchup, 1 clove garlic
Notes
The longer the chicken marinates, the stronger the lime taste will be. The maximum marination time is no more than three hours. Beyond that time the chicken is still safe to cook but it can become mushy due to the acid in the marinade.Do not use the leftover marinade for any purpose unless you boil it for two to three minutes. It will contain bacteria from the chicken that can result in food poisoning or infection unless killed by boiling.Make sure the chicken strips are of a uniform size, so they will all cook in the same amount of time.When frying the chicken, don't overcrowd the pan. The oil will cool down, and the chicken will not cook properly and will absorb oil, with the resulting chicken being greasy.
Keyword Chicharrones, Chicken, Pollo
Did You Like This Recipe?Take a picture and mention us on Pintrest @HispanicFoodNetwork or tag it with #hispanic_food_network! Don't forget to subscribe to our email list for more recipes!