During a recent vacation to Toronto, we discovered that there was a restaurant nearby that is very close to my heart growing up. Being from the Philippines, I grew up loving the giant bee, Jollibee. The Jollibee restaurant was three miles away from our Airbnb. I got so excited and told my high school friend from Toronto about wanting to go there. She warned me that the place is very busy at lunchtime and that we should go early.
The next day we drove to the place at around 10:30 a.m. to avoid the lunch crowd. Lo and behold, there was a line outside in the parking lot! Yes, you heard me right, “outside in the parking lot”. The temperature was in the 80’s and you would know from afar that it is where we’re supposed to go because Filipinos would be under their umbrellas at this kind of weather (caucasian just basked under the sun, hahaha). There was an area in the parking lot as big as about 10 parking spaces that was cordoned off. There was a security guard in the only opening and he was giving out numbers to every customer. There were more than a hundred people in line. We were number 278 and 279. It took us around 35 minutes to get past the entrance of the restaurant and another 10 minutes to wait in line inside. I ordered the more popular dishes because I wanted David to try them. We had the 6 piece bucket of Chicken Joy, Jolly Spaghetti, Big Yum and Peach Mango Pie.
David loved everything! He could not stop eating the chicken! He almost did not share the peach mango pie with me and he said the burger had some “seasonings” in it, hahaha. The spaghetti was sweet too, which was an amazement to him, but he liked it.
Anyway, when we came back home, nothing was said about it until I fixed chicken for dinner. The very first thing he said upon looking at it was, “this is not Jollibee” with a frown on his face. The next day, I had to go to the store to buy chicken ……
Ingredients
3 lbs chicken thighs
water and 1 tbsp salt (for brining)
Breading
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps. salt
1 1/2 tsps. pepper
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. five spice powder
oil for deep frying
Gravy
1 tbsp. breading mix
2 tsps. cornstarch
2 tsps. chicken powder or 1 chicken cube
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp milk
Directions
Prepare the brine by combining salt and water in a deep container. Place chicken in brine. Make sure there is enough water to cover the chicken. Brine chicken for at least an hour or leave it overnight. Drain the water and pat dry the chicken with paper towels.
Preheat your oil in a deep fryer or a cast iron pan or any deep pan will do. Preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius.
In a gallon resealable bag, combine the dry ingredients and mix well. Place the chicken in the bag and toss it making sure that it is well coated. Shake off the excess breading. Deep fry until golden brown.
While you are frying the chicken, prepare the gravy.
Simmer the water in a sauce pot. Dissolve the chicken flavoring. Make a slurry by mixing the breading mix and cornstarch in 2-3 tablespoons of water. Add slurry to the water and stock mixture and add the milk. Let it simmer for around 2 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.
Serve chicken with a side of gravy (plus a cup of steamed rice?).
Enjoy!
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