Max’s Style Fried Chicken
Max’s style Fried Chicken is a copycat fried chicken recipe of the popular dish. Juicy and tender chicken with tasty, golden brown and crisp skin!
I’ll share with you today how to make homemade Max’s fried chicken dish. Max’s restaurant is synonymous to fried chicken in the Philippines. It’s the go-to restaurant of Filipinos for delicious fried chicken and other dishes such as kare-kare, crispy pata and caramel bars.
Making this Max’s style fried chicken is simple. It only uses a few ingredients but delivers amazing flavors! It gets better when dipped in lechon sauce or banana ketchup with worcestershire sauce and goes best with sweet potato fries. Try this fried chicken ala Max and enjoy restaurant worthy chicken with crispy chicken skin!
Steaming the chicken
Before frying the chicken you need to steam it first. Other recipes boil or brine the chicken before frying but I find it better to steam and not overdo the meat. To steam chicken, pour 2 liters of water, a quartered onion, whole peppercorns, salt and bay leaves in a steamer. Bring to a boil and place the steamer basket then steam the chicken for 15 minutes on one side and another 15 minutes to cook the other side.
How to fry the chicken
There are two possible and best ways to fry the chicken. Frying the chicken is what gives the dish its signature crisp, golden brown skin.
- Deep Frying – Deep fry the chicken after steaming in a deep-fryer at 350°F until golden. You can also use a tall pot with enough oil to cook the chicken. Double frying the chicken is not needed but you can if you want it extra crisp.
- Air Fryer – Air fry whole chicken for 40 to 50 minutes at 360°F breast side down first then cook the other side for another 10 minutes. If you have a small air fryer, you can cut the chicken in quarters.
Tips for an amiable experience
- Let the chicken cool and air dry after steaming for at least an hour to remove excess liquid. This will help lessen oil splatters when frying the chicken.
- Deep frying the chicken doesn’t take to long since the chicken is almost cooked. Make sure the oil temperature is between 350°F to 370°F.
- If you do not have a big enough pot to cook a whole chicken, you can cut it in half and fry the chicken in batches of two. Fry the chicken skin side first for 5 minutes then the other side where the meat is exposed for 3 minutes.
- I only fried the chicken once and already produced a crispy skin. Double fry if you fancy for that extra crispiness but for less amount of time.
- Allow the chicken to rest for a couple of minutes in a cooling rack after frying before serving.
How to serve
- Serve it whole or chopped with a side of steamed rice, kamote fries or lumpiang sariwa.
- You can dip the chicken in spicy lechon sauce or banana ketchup for an authentic experience.
The secret ingredient is always LOVE
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Max’s style Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 3 to 4 pounds
- 2 pcs lemon grass (tanglad)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 medium onion quartered
- 1/4 tsp whole peppercorn
- 3 tbsp salt
- 3 pcs dried bay leaves
- 4 cups cooking oil for frying
- 2 liters water for steaming
Instructions
- Wash chicken and pat dry with kitchen towel. Rub salt, fish sauce and ground black pepper on the chicken. Place the lemon grass inside cavity of chicken. Set aside.1 whole chicken 3 to 4 pounds, 2 pcs lemon grass, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp salt
- Add water, onion, bay leaves, whole peppercorns, and salt in a steamer. Turn on stove top and bring to a boil.1 medium onion quartered, 1/4 tsp whole peppercorn, 3 tbsp salt, 3 pcs dried bay leaves, 2 liters water for steaming
- When water starts to boil, place chicken breast down and steam for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the chicken and steam for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from steamer and place in a rack. Air dry chicken for at least an hour to allow excess fluid to drip.
- Heat cooking oil in a deep fryer or tall pot over high heat. Check oil temperature until it reaches 350°F.4 cups cooking oil for frying
- When oil is hot enough, deep fry chicken for 5 minutes on one side and turn chicken to cook the other side for additional 3-5 minutes or until skin is crisp and golden.
- Serve with ketchup and a side of rice or fries. Bon appetit!
This looks yummy!