In the UK when it was a popular offering it used to be half a roast chicken placed on top of a bed of chips all of which was in a basket.
( at least where I come from)
I'm quite partial to it too actually, we had it tonight in fact.
Well I wasn't referring to here and since I've never had it here I couldn't possibly comment.
Me too. One of my favourite starters. Had one recently at a restaurant we go to in Southend-on-Sea. Lovely.
Deep in the Congo (and well worth the visit): http://www.hotelochsen.ch/
Half an avocado, filled with the prawns and a sauce made from mixing ketchup with mayonnaise.
That's what we had as kids for special occasions.
I still don't know why it is in a basket
It's the product of a transatlantic misunderstanding.
The original dish was named in honour of the actress Lina Basquette way back in 1920s California. It enjoyed a brief burst of popularity in the bars and steak houses of Hollywood before fading out of fashion like curried elvers, lime jelly fajitas and peanut butter fried steak before it.
Several decades later in the early 1970s, while attending the funeral of a famous Hollywood diva, a pub landlord from Swindon met a wrinkly old actor who raved enthusiastically about the "Chicken Lina Basquette" he used to enjoy during the sunny days of his youth over in the States. The landlord insisted that the ancient thespian dictate the recipe to him, at least as best as he could remember. Unfortunately, with all the background noise and disco music, the landlord misheard the name of the dish and "Chicken in a Basket" was born.
From Swindon, the exciting new dish conquered the rest of Wiltshire and eventually the whole of Britain, taking the nation by storm. Before the end of the decade, variations on "Chicken Lina Basquette" had popped up in places as diverse as Switzerland and Swaziland, remaining popular to the present day.
I'm guessing, however, that you might not want to know about the misunderstanding which led to 'prawn' cocktail... I think it's enough to say that the original pink objects in the sauce weren't necessarily crustacean in origin.
But this thread IS about chicken in a basket here!
Also, fries here are optional, and are served separately on a plate.
Tom
That's exactly how they serve it at my suggested
venue here as well.
Actually, the way Belgianmum describes is how I have had it here in Basel as well. First time I've ordered "chicken in a basket", it was pretty nice.
Reminded me a bit of a roasted chicken served with fries I had in the US - had lemon and oregano on it (main flavors), the recipe was from a Greek restaurant owner (restaurant usually served Gyros) in Chicago area.
Maybe at the outset but it morphed into a discussion about chicken in a basket in general.
It seems that you are wrong. it's not always served fried here.
The good ones are.
Tom
That's a matter of opinion. Personally I can't stand fried chicken so would avoid it like the plague.
We've never been more interested in food and cookery techniques, so why are sandwiches our most frequently eaten meal?
Felicity Cloake
Thursday 27 March 2014
The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...k-wont-cook-tv
This isn't about food in a basket either, food in a microwave?
My theory about the baskets is that many meals could be served using the same basket without cleaning in-between as they would have a plate - with the help of greaseproof paper. Cringe If you can't see it its clean?
Agreed. I like hot wings.
fries optional? Optional???
Whosoever can pass up the chance of a good chip understands nothing of the true meaning of life.
Sandwiches allow one to continue one's game of cribbage uninterrupted if one's valet brings sandwiches to the table. Sandwiches are NOT to be sniffed at...
Deeper in the Congo as the saying goes. This place does a buttery Sauce... I'd be more of a hot Sauce type of person.
http://www.restaurant-sager.ch/
Keep the suggestions coming.
While the vans can be quite tasty you might want to tip the bloke
We have just eaten the best chicken every very juicy not dry :P we bought a chicken at the migros and slowly cooked it on our bbq it was to die for so yummy
Ah but was it in a basket? It's no good if it's not in a basket.