This all-Filipino homegrown empire with the tagline “The House That Fried Chicken Built”, has without a doubt imprinted its name in the Filipino food culture through its iconic fried chicken. Iconic indeed, because to this date I have not found a single other restaurant who serves the same or even close to Max’s version.
What’s generally known about Max’s chicken recipe is that it involves a generous amount of time marinating, a kind of time a busy mom like me does not have. This recipe is as close as I can get. A simplified, no-marinating, one-hour cooking time version.
Overall I can say that this recipe is close enough for my kids to say they remember the same taste from some place we’ve already eaten at. They couldn’t remember the name, but it was Max’s!
Ingredients:
- 1 Whole Chicken
- Fresh Lemongrass (lightly pounded pinitpit)
- 2 cloves of Garlic (pounded, skinned, unchopped)
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tbsp. of Fish Sauce (Patis)
- 1 cup of Water
Instructions:
- Place whole chicken (or halved) in a deep pot and rub in salt (be easy on the amount) and pepper.
- If whole chicken–stuff garlic and lemongrass into the cavity. If half–just place garlic and lemongrass beneath the chicken at the bottom of the pot.
- Pour in a cup of water (more or less) just enough so that less than half of chicken is submerged.
- Cover and allow to boil for 20 minutes (10 minutes each side). The goal is to half cook the chicken at this stage and fully cook during frying.
- Remove cover and keep boiling for 5 more minutes. At this point we want to allow as much water to evaporate to put all the flavor back into the chicken.
- Once half-cooked, take the chicken out and place on a plate or rack. Remove lemongrass from chicken cavity. Brush fish sauce (patis) on skin. Do not wait so much time before frying or all the juices will start coming out and chicken will be become dry after frying.
- Deep-fry chicken in a deep frying pot for 10 minutes each side or until golden brown, turning only once.
- Remove chicken from pot and rest for 5 minutes before chopping.
- Serve with Jufran Banana Catsup as dip or gravy.
To make a gravy, you may use what’s left in the pot from where the chicken was boiled. Heat up and add 1 tbsp. of flour dissolved in water. Keep stirring until consistency is thick enough. Season to your liking. Optional–add butter.
Do you have ideas on how to better this recipe?
Let me know how this works out for you! Leave your comments below!