Crunchy Chicken Cone
In the bustling heart of Austin, Texas, at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, a culinary phenomenon was born that would soon become a symbol of the city’s unique flavor profile. Meet the Mighty Cone and its famous Hot ‘n’ Crunchy Chicken Cone, crowned with the incredible Ancho Paint.
The Birth of The Mighty Cone
Back in 2002, the organizers of ACL sought to infuse the festival’s food court with the local culinary spirit. They contacted Chef Jeff Blank, owner of Hudson’s on the Bend, to create festival food that would reflect Austin’s heritage. The idea began with Hot ‘n’ Crunchy Trout, a popular entrée at Hudson’s, developed by the late sous chef, Courtney Swenson.
The chefs experimented with this breading, discovering that chicken wrapped in a tortilla and placed in a paper cone made a perfect festival treat. Topped with mango-jalapeno slaw and Ancho Paint, the Hot ‘n’ Crunchy Chicken Cone was born. The success was so immense that Jeff Blank eventually opened The Mighty Cone food truck in downtown Austin in 2009.
Bring a piece of Austin’s unique culinary history into your home with the Crunchy Chicken Cone and let your taste buds dance to the rhythm of flavors that made The Mighty Cone an icon.
There are 3 recipes that combine to make this amazingly delicious dish: Crunchy Chicken Cone, Ancho Paint and Mango Jalapeno Slaw
Crunchy Chicken Cone
Ingredients
- 3 cups Cornflakes
- 6 tablespoons Almonds slivered
- 6 tablespoons Sesame Seeds
- 6 tablespoons Sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Red Pepper crushed
- 1 ½ tablespoons Salt kosher
- 4 Eggs large, lightly beaten
- ½ cup Milk
- All-purpose flour for dredging
- 6 5 oz. Chicken Breasts boneless skinless chicken breast halves, sliced lengthwise 1 inch thick
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 6 Tortillas flour, 10-inch, warmed
Instructions
- In a food processor add the cornflakes, almonds, sesame seeds, sugar, red pepper and salt and pulse until coarsely chopped.
- Transfer the mixture to a large, shallow bowl.
- In a second shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with milk
- Fill a third shallow bowl with flour
- Dredge the chicken strips in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip them in the eggs, then roll them in the cornflake mixture.
- Set a rack over a rimmed baking sheet. In a large skillet, heat ¼ inch of oil. Working in batches, fry the chicken over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden brown, transfer to the rack.
- Assembly: Set the fried chicken on the tortillas, top with Mango Slaw (see recipe, link in blog post or find in recipes on website) and drizzle some Ancho Paint (see recipe, link in blog post or find in recipes on website) on the top. Roll up and eat right away.
