At Le Coq Rico in New York's Flatiron District founded by Alsatian chef Antoine Westermann, the restaurant prepares rare heritage breeds of poultry with exceptional finesse. He partners with farmers to raise ducks, quail, Cornish hens and squab for a certain length of time—as specific as 70 days or 120 days—before delivering them to the kitchen for his team's signature preparations.
One such dish is the teams fried chicken meatballs, which get served with Caesar salad at the restaurant—the meatballs are a result of the team's efforts to reduce food waste. To make them, the team takes the chicken meat that is left over on the bones after making stock and mixes it with a béchamel sauce before molding and freezing them.
The resulting meatballs, which are fried to order, are creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Make them ahead of time, put them in the freezer and take out last minute to fry for guests or a party.
Fried Chicken Meatballs
Courtesy of Le Coq Rico, New York CityServes 2
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons béchamel sauce (recipe below)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1 to 2 cups chicken, minced
All-purpose flour, for breading
Whisked eggs, for breading
Breadcrumbs, for breading
Oil, for deep frying
For the Anchovy Caper Relish:
1 anchovy fillet
1 teaspoon capers
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Salad:
1 head Romaine lettuce
Caesar salad dressing, for serving (recipe below)
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 Parmesan shavings
4 baguette slices, toasted
Olive oil, for drizzling
Method
1. Make the meatballs: In a large bowl, mix the egg yolk with the béchamel sauce, salt and pepper. Slowly incorporate the minced chicken. When all the ingredients hold together in a ball, divide and roll into individual four meatballs. Freeze until solid.
2. Gently roll each meatball in some flour, then eggs and then breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess at each step.
3. Heat the oil to 350˚F. Fry the meatballs in the oil until they are crispy and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
4. Make the anchovy caper relish: Chop the anchovy fillet and capers, and mix together with the olive oil.
5. Assemble the dish: Cut lettuce into small pieces, leaving some whole leaves of Romaine hearts to put on top of salad. Dress the lettuce with some of Caesar dressing. Divide the lettuce between two plates and arrange on one side of each plate with some full leaves on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. For each plate, arrange pieces of shaved Parmesan and toasted baguette on top of the lettuce, add some of the anchovy relish on the opposite side of the plate, place the fried chicken meatballs between the lettuce and relish and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Photos by Asia Coladner.
Béchamel Sauce
1 cup whole milk1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Method
1. Add the milk and lemon juice to a small pot and heat until warmed through. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly until it forms a paste and starts to bubble slightly, making sure it does not brown, about 2 minutes.
3. Whisk in the warm milk mixture, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.
Caesar Salad Dressing
4 anchovy fillets, diced1/2 clove garlic, grated
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups olive oil, divided
5 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice, divided
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Method
1. Mix the anchovies, garlic and Parmesan until it forms a paste. Gently whisk in the egg yolk.
2. Whisking constantly, slowly stream in 5 tablespoons olive oil, followed by half of the lemon juice, then another 5 tablespoons olive oil, then the rest of the lemon juice and then the remaining 10 tablespoons olive oil.
3. Whisk in the vinegar, salt and white pepper until combined. Set aside until ready to use.
