Popcorn Chicken with Gravy

Method

1. Mix chicken with buttermilk, the marinade salt and garlic powder. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours. Keep the cubes close to 2 cm so small pieces do not dry out before larger ones cook.
2. Make the gravy first. Melt butter over medium-low heat, stir in the gravy flour and cook for 2–3 minutes until pale biscuit coloured. Gradually whisk in stock and then milk until lump-free.
3. Bring the gravy to a gentle simmer for 4–5 minutes, stirring along the bottom. Add soy sauce and the gravy pepper. Loosen with a little water if too thick, then cover and keep hot on the lowest heat, stirring occasionally; do not let a skin burn onto the bottom.
4. Mix coating flour, cornstarch, paprika, onion powder, coating pepper and salt in a shallow dish. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the used marinade into the dry coating and rub it in to create small flakes. Treat the whole coating mixture as raw-poultry-contaminated from this point.
5. Lift a handful of chicken from the marinade, allowing excess to drip off, and press it into the coating. Shake gently and let stand on a tray for 5 minutes. Coat only what can be cooked in the next batch, keeping the rest refrigerated.
6. Heat frying oil to 170–175°C. Fry in small uncrowded batches for about 4–5 minutes until crisp and the centres reach 74°C. Stir gently at the start to separate pieces and allow the oil to recover between batches.
7. Drain on a rack, stir the gravy and serve it alongside rather than pouring it over all the chicken. Discard unused raw-contact marinade and coating. Refrigerate leftovers separately; reheating the chicken on a rack in an oven helps preserve more crunch than closing it in a steaming covered pan.