Chicken 'n' Chips with jalapeño mayonnaise

• 4 boneless corn-fed chicken thighs
• 1 tsp Five Spice seasoning mix (alternatively, make a mixture of equal parts cloves, star anise, cinnamon, fennel seeds, Szechuan pepper, and black pepper and use 1 tsp of each)
• Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• some flour
• 1 tbsp mineral water
• Salt
• good frying oil, e.g. peanut oil and/or clarified butter

For the chips:
• 600 g potatoes, mostly waxy
• some sesame oil
• 3 tsp fine salt
• ½ tsp caster sugar

For the jalapeño mayo:
• 100 g mayonnaise
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp jar of jalapeños
• Sriracha chili sauce extra hot

➍ For the jalapeño mayo, puree 100g mayonnaise with 1 tbsp jalapeños and 1 tsp sesame oil using a hand blender. Now the preparations are complete and the grill is ready to light. To do this, fill the charcoal basket in the Monolith with charcoal and light a generous ember in the middle, place the fire plate on top and heat it up slowly. Shortly before grilling, bread the inside of the chicken thighs. To do this, whisk the egg with 1 tbsp mineral water and a pinch of salt on a plate. Place some panko breadcrumbs on a second plate. Now lightly flour the meat side and shake off any excess flour. Then dip the floured side in the beaten egg yolk, let it drain briefly, and finally place it on the panko breadcrumbs and press down lightly. Leave the skin side unbreaded!

➎ Add a little cooking fat to the fire plate and fry the chicken thighs over medium heat, starting on the breaded side, for about 6 minutes until the breading is golden brown. Since the breading absorbs the fat, you can gradually add a little more cooking fat or clarified butter. Next, turn the thighs over and finish frying on the skin side. Here, too, it's best to cook slowly. On the large Monolith fire plate, the temperature decreases towards the outside, so it's better to start a little further out and move further towards the center if necessary. This melts the subcutaneous fat, the skin slowly becomes nice and crispy, and the meat stays wonderfully juicy.

➏ While the chicken thighs are cooking, slowly roast the potatoes on the griddle until golden brown. This goes a little faster than with the meat, so place them a little later and further toward the edge. It's very important not to overheat the fire plate or plancha at the beginning. Brown everything slowly over low heat, and it will be perfect! Serve the chicken thighs with the potatoes and jalapeño mayo. If you like it spicy, you can add a little more Sriracha chili sauce!

Stephan Stohl: "Sometimes you just have to have junk food. Juicy chicken thighs with crispy skin and breading, served with golden-brown potatoes and a spicy mayonnaise. If you like, you can add a fiery touch – and you've got soul food. A key point for this dish is seasoning before grilling. You can achieve additional flavor intensity by briefly toasting the spices beforehand. If you don't have the right spices, you can simply use a five-spice seasoning."