Cured Egg Yolk Fried Chicken And Mixed Vegetable Rice

Everyone knows how to prepare eggs in tons of different ways, and between hard-boiling, frying, poaching, or scrambling them, the possibilities seem almost endless. But have you ever tried your hand at curing eggs? If you haven't tried this delicious way to serve eggs before, then now's your chance! By storing egg yolks in a mixture of sugar, salt, and seasonings, the liquid gets removed and the yolks take on an entirely new flavor! This amazing way to prepare eggs is the key to our recipe for cured egg yolk fried chicken. Tender chicken breasts get breaded in cured egg yolk, fried to golden brown perfection, and served alongside mixed vegetable rice. Not only will your fried chicken be extra crispy, it's also going to have a deliciously unique taste. This recipe is a surefire cure for the culinary blues!

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Inactive Time: 4 days
Difficulty Level: Easy

You'll Need:

For the cured egg yolks:

  • 1⅔ cups salt
  • 5 bay leaves, chopped
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1⅔ cups sugar
  • juice & zest of ½ lemon
  • 6 egg yolks

For the fried chicken:

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • salt to taste
  • flour + whisked egg whites + cured egg yolks for the breading station
  • cooking oil for frying

For the mixed vegetable rice:

  • 1 cup long grain rice
  • ½ red bell pepper, chopped
  • frozen peas, thawed
  • 1 scallion, chopped
  • soy sauce to taste

Extra:

  • blender or food processor
  • empty plastic bottle

Here's How:

1. For the cured egg yolks, chop the bay leaves and put them in a blender or food processor along with the red pepper flakes, salt, sugar, and the zest & juice of ½ a lemon. Continue blending until the bay leaves and red pepper flakes are finely ground, then transfer ⅔ of the salt mixture to a small baking dish. Use the unused ½ of the lemon to make 6 evenly spaced wells in the salt mixture.

2. Separate 6 eggs, then use an empty plastic bottle to suck up the egg yolks 1 at a time. Position 1 egg yolk in the center of each well in the salt mixture. Once all of the egg yolks have been transferred to the baking dish, cover them with the remainder of the salt mixture and let the them sit for 4 days in a cool, dry place. While the egg yolks are being cured, store the leftover egg whites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for later use.

3. After 4 days, preheat the oven to 150°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Remove the cured egg yolks from underneath the salt mixture, rinse them off with some cold water, and place them on the baking tray. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake the cured egg yolks at 150°F for 35 minutes.

4. While the cured egg yolks are baking, place the long grain rice in a frying pan, submerge the rice in water, and let it soak for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, bring the rice to a boil and let it cook briefly, then turn down the temperature slightly and continue to let the rice cook. After 5 minutes, turn off stove, cover the rice, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Dice the bell pepper and chop the scallion, then cook them briefly with the peas and the rice. After everything has cooked, add some soy sauce to the mixed vegetable rice. Remove the cured egg yolks from the oven and let them cool down slightly. Heat a deep frying pan with a thick layer of cooking oil in it on the stove. For the breading station, fill a large bowl with flour, take the leftover egg whites out of the refrigerator and whisk them for the egg wash, and grate 3 of the cured egg yolks into a separate mixing bowl. Cut the chicken breasts in half, season them with salt, cover them in flour, dredge them in egg wash, and coat them in cured egg yolk. Fry the chicken in hot cooking oil until golden brown on both sides.

5. Serve the cured egg yolk fried chicken alongside the mixed vegetable rice and grate the remaining cured egg yolks directly on the rice.

Even though you don't end up using very much, the cured egg yolk packs a wonderfully tasty punch when you add it to your crispy fried chicken breast and rice. Eggs never cease to amaze us!

Get the recipe for the Salt-Crusted Chicken featured in the bonus video.

Comments

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