Chicken pieces dipped in egg and milk and then coated in seasoned flour, fried five minutes a side. There is no breadcrumb in it at all.
No breadcrumb anywhere
Apanado usually means breadcrumbed, which is why this recipe surprises people who read the ingredient list carefully.
There are no breadcrumbs in it. The coating is one cup of wheat flour, seasoned with half a teaspoon each of garlic powder, cumin and onion powder plus salt and pepper, and the chicken goes into it straight from a bath of beaten egg and milk.
What you get is a craggy, seasoned flour crust rather than the smooth even one breadcrumbs give. It is much closer to American fried chicken than to a milanesa, and it is a legitimate and common way to make pollo apanado at home.
Press, do not dust
The third instruction says to verify that each piece is wrapped tightly in the flour, and that is the whole technique.
Dusting gives a thin coat that browns and disappears. What you want is to lay the wet chicken into the flour, press it down, turn it, press again, until there is a genuinely thick layer clinging to it.
The egg and milk underneath is the glue. Without that wet layer, flour will not build up at all.
Hot oil first
Heat the oil and wait, which is what the fourth step is asking for. A pinch of the flour mixture dropped in should sizzle straight away.
Oil that is not hot enough gets absorbed by the flour instead of driving off water, and the crust turns heavy and greasy rather than crisp.
Once the pieces are in, leave them for the full five minutes before turning. Moving them early is what knocks the coating loose.
Five minutes a side
That is enough for chicken pieces of the size this recipe assumes, and it gives a deep golden crust.
Bone-in pieces that are noticeably thick may need a little longer, and the test is the same as always: the juices should run clear at the thickest part.
More breaded chicken
- Pechugas apanadas — with breadcrumbs and a sauce.
- Crispy parmesan chicken breasts — double breaded.
- Milanesa de pollo al horno — baked instead of fried.
- Colombian ají — what to put beside it.
Breaded Chicken FAQ
No. The coating is a cup of wheat flour seasoned with garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, salt and pepper. That makes it closer to fried chicken than to a milanesa.
Press the chicken down into the flour and turn it rather than dusting it. It goes in wet from the egg and milk, and that wetness is what holds a heavy coat of flour on.
Usually because the oil was not hot enough, or because the pieces were moved around too early. Wait until the oil is properly hot and leave them alone until the first side is golden.
No, and the recipe's own note says so. Plain flour works and tastes of less. The garlic, cumin and onion powder are what make it taste Colombian rather than generic.
Yes, though the recipe says pieces, which usually means bone-in thighs and drumsticks. Those stay juicier through ten minutes of frying than breast does.
Hot enough that a pinch of the flour mixture sizzles immediately. Chicken lowered into lukewarm oil absorbs it and the crust goes heavy.
📖 Recipe
Pollo Apanado (Colombian Breaded Chicken)
Imprimir Pin ComentarIngredients
- 4 chicken pieces
- 1 cup wheat flour (this is the whole coating)
- ½ cup milk
- 1 beaten egg
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Enough oil for frying
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
Notas
Instructions
- Mix the egg with the half cup of milk.
- In another bowl, put the wheat flour with the garlic powder, the cumin, the onion powder, salt and pepper to taste.
- Dip each piece of chicken in the milk and egg, then turn it in the seasoned flour, pressing so that every part of it is thickly coated.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and wait until it is properly hot before the chicken goes in.
- Fry for five minutes on each side, until golden and crisp.
- Lift the pieces out and put them on paper towels to drain.
- Serve.
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