Say My Kitchen: Butter Cereal Chicken 牛油麦片鸡

This Butter Cereal Chicken Photograph Updated in June 2017.

Butter Cereal Chicken 牛油麦片鸡 is a very sinful dish with heavy butter and deep frying. I only cook it once in a blue moon. I used to cook this dish with off-the-rack instant cereal mix and my husband was criticising it being too salty. I took his challenge and managed to replicate a version close to those from tze char stalls, except my wok-fragrance (锅气味) was not as prevalent - constrained by my ceramic cooker.

Nevertheless, this dish is still very tasty...worthwhile for me to sacrifice a few hours on the treadmill after bingeing....

Ingredients (enough for 4 pax) :

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2 large pieces of boneless chicken thigh meat (300 to 400 gm)
4-5 tbsp cereal
80 gm unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
1 tsp curry powder (to marinate chicken)
2 tsp corn starch (to marinate chicken)
1/2 tsp salt (to marinate chicken)
1/2 tsp salt (for frying)
1 egg yolk
2 stalks of curry leaves
2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
3 shallots (finely chopped)
3 pcs chilli padi (sliced)
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp black grounded pepper
cooking oil

(tsp = teaspoon; tbsp = tablespoon)

Tip : If you like your cereals crispy, use Nestle Nestum Cereals. If you like your dish to be less dry, use Quaker Oats. It's your choice really. I used Quaker Oats as I only have them at home for my daily breakfast. I refused to buy cereals just to make the dish. Hence, I had to be very quick and swift during stir frying so that the cereals would not turn too soggy.

Chop boneless chicken into bite size pieces.

Pre-marinate with 1 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp corn starch.

Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat cooking oil in skillet/wok. Use more oil.

Add chicken to pan fry. Or you may choose to deep fry like most people do.

Scoop up chicken and set aside when cooked. Remove cooking oil from skillet/wok.

Heat a clean skillet/wok and add butter. Let butter melt in skillet/wok.

Add finely chopped shallots and garlic.

Add curry leaves and chilli padi.

Add beaten egg yolk and toss quickly. It would turn out like scrambled egg in the melted butter. Some people prefer to fry the egg separately and toss in later. I tried both methods and find no significant differences, thus the easier approach.

Add cereals. Turn to low-medium heat to prevent cereals from burning and emitting a bitter burnt taste. At this juncture, add 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp grounded black pepper. Do a quick toss so that cereals would not stick together.