Garlic fried chicken

KFC was never my guilty secret, my fast food indulgence, my junk fix. I am more the Burger King kind of girl as Maccy D’s have lost all vestiges of appeal with one abysmal hot dog episode (might tell the tale some time). My poison of choice is a cheeseburger (not junkie enough to know the monikers of the various burgers apart from Big Whopper), not many fries and definitely none of those smoothie-shake things which give you a sugar rash not just a rush.

I suspect much more people secretly enjoy the sugar and salt high of junk food than there are ready to admit. What’s not to like? Sugar, fat, salt, bread of sorts and not a carrot in sight – it’s what kids enjoy and what stays with us however sophisticated, adult, health conscious or vegan we become. I do anyway and – even though I don’t actually ever visit fast food burger joints – I would enjoy wolfing down a whopper with cheese.

I know, I know – it’s neither cheese nor a proper burger and I’m not advocating junk food here – I couldn’t be furthest from it. But it’s only a step further away from takeaways and I kind of agree with Ruby Tandoh (reluctantly, as many other points she makes rub me the wrong way) that better cheerfully nosh a ready meal than beat yourself up about the origin and sustainability of every single morsel we eat.

It’s not that easy to replicate a Big Mac at home – primarily because you will try to use real beef instead of mysterious factory-grown protein. But if I was a KFC fan, I’d be really happy with this garlic fried chicken. Of course it’s a southern American classic, but they tend to fry chicken on the bone. Mine is fast, ready and salty – and so tasty you might start looking for a red bucket to serve it in.