Hot Crispy Chicken with Carrot Celeriac Slaw and Sour Cream Ranch

The family's pickiest eaters will love this recipe for crispy chicken and it's quick and simple to prepare.

My inspiration for this dish was a plate of pub-style hot chicken wings. They always come with carrot and celery sticks alongside a small cup of ranch for dipping.

For this recipe, I have breaded boneless skinless chicken breasts in Japanese panko bread crumbs, shallow fried them in a pan until crispy, and then dipped them in my favorite hot sauce to give a nice spicy kick! Omit the hot sauce if you're not a fan of spicy food.

Chef notes:

I've substituted sour cream for the conventional buttermilk and mayonnaise in this ranch dressing recipe. I like the cooling effect of the sour cream with the spicy fried chicken.

Watch my video on making this delicious recipe!

Specialty equipment:

Mandoline

Cooling rack

Yield: serves 2

Preparation time: 1 hour

Cooking time: 25–35 minutes

Carrot Celeriac Slaw

1 cup carrot, julienne

1 cup celeriac, julienne

2 sticks of celery, thinly sliced

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

Fresh leaf lettuce for garnish

Sour Cream Ranch

½ cup white onion, minced

¼ cup parsley, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 cup full-fat sour cream

1 tbsp white vinegar

¼ tsp espelette pepper (cayenne works as a substitute)

Pinch of salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Hot Crispy Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Salt and fresh cracked black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup panko Japanese bread crumbs

½ cup canola oil

½ cup hot sauce

For the slaw

Place the vegetables into a mixing bowl, combine them with the salt, and set aside.
The salt will draw the water out of the vegetables after about 30 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and place the vegetables into a separate bowl.
Mix with the white balsamic vinegar and set aside.
You can prepare the ranch dressing while waiting for the vegetables to soften.

For the ranch

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, season to taste, and set aside. The sauce will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week.

For the crispy chicken

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Set a cooling rack on top of a baking tray and set it aside.
Set up 3 shallow containers, one with flour, one with the beaten egg, and one with panko.
Use a sharp knife and slice the chicken breast horizontally, not all the way through, to butterfly or flatten the chicken allowing it to cook more evenly.
Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
Bread the chicken by first coating it with the flour, then the egg, then the panko. Place them on a tray and set them aside.
Heat a large fry pan with about 3 tbsp of canola oil on medium heat.
Add the breaded chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Turn the heat down if needed.
Place the chicken on the rack and fry the second piece. Add more oil and allow the pan to get hot again before adding the chicken.
Turn off the heat, place the crispy chicken into the oven, and cook until the internal temperature is 165°F. Cook the chicken in the oven on a wire rack so it stays crispy all around.
Pour the hot sauce into a shallow container, remove the chicken from the oven, and dip it into the hot sauce to coat. Use any type of hot sauce you enjoy.