Guy Fieri Eats a Curry Fried Chicken Platter _ Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives _ Food Network

# Exploring the Unique World of Curry Fried Chicken in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, Utah, is home to a culinary fusion that has taken the food scene by storm: curry fried chicken. This dish combines the beloved flavors of traditional fried chicken with the rich, aromatic spices of East Asian cuisine, creating a flavor profile that is both familiar and excitingly new. If you find yourself cruising down State Street and spot a fried chicken joint with "curry" in front of its name, you’ll want to slow down, take a closer look, and check it out. This isn’t just any fried chicken—it’s a flavor bomb waiting to explode on your taste buds.

## A Family Legacy of Flavor

Sonny Nasar, the mastermind behind this innovative cuisine, learned his trade from his parents, who opened Utah’s first halal restaurant back in 1998. Their establishment, a Korean-style curry joint, became a local institution, attracting customers who had never experienced anything like it before. Now, Sonny and his wife, Eerim, are carrying on the family legacy, adding their own twist to traditional fried chicken by infusing it with Pakistani and Indian spices.

The concept is simple yet groundbreaking: take something everyone knows and loves—fried chicken—and give it a spicy, aromatic twist. The result? A combination that is nothing short of mind-blowing. As Sonny puts it, "This isn’t just fried chicken anymore—it’s a powerful blend of flavors that makes you crave it."

## Crafting the Perfect Curry Fried Chicken

The journey to creating this unique dish begins with the creation of their signature *garam masala*. In a process that takes time and care, Sonny and his brother toast a variety of spices—coriander, whole black pepper, mustard seeds, cloves, cumin, cinnamon, and bay leaves. The result is a blend of smoky, earthy, and slightly sweet flavors that form the foundation of their curry spice mix.

Next comes the brine, a mixture of water, vinegar, lemon juice, black pepper, salt, curry powder, and the freshly made *garam masala*. The chicken is submerged in this brine for 24 hours, allowing the spices to penetrate every fiber of the meat. Afterward, the chicken is coated in a breading infused with their house-made spice blend before being fried to perfection—a process that takes about 15 minutes.

## Savoring the Spices

While the fried chicken is无疑是the star of the show, the restaurant also offers a variety of other dishes that highlight their expertise in blending East and West. Their lentil curry, for example, is a testament to their skillful use of spices. Made with yellow and green lentils, salt, *garam masala*, hot curry powder, and crushed chili peppers, this dish simmers for about two hours before being garnished with sautéed onions and cumin, adding a burst of flavor and sizzle.

## A Culinary Experience to Remember

When you sit down at the restaurant, you’re treated to a visual and taste盛宴. The plate arrives with layers of flavor: fluffy rice topped with mixed vegetable curry, lentils, and a side of their house ranch chili sambal for those who dare to seek out more heat. And don’t forget the pita bread—it’s the perfect vessel for scooping up all the flavors and creating the ultimate bite.

The fried chicken, crispy on the outside and juicy inside, is seasoned with that signature *garam masala*, giving it a depth of flavor that sets it apart from the ordinary. As one customer raves, "This chicken is unique—it wrecks fried chicken. There’s so much flavor in it. Oh, it’s very crunchy, very juicy."

## Conclusion

Curry fried chicken in Salt Lake City isn’t just a meal—it’s an experience. It’s a celebration of tradition and innovation, East and West, and the bold flavors that come together to create something truly special. If you ever find yourself in Salt Lake City, take a moment to slow down, check out this unique culinary gem, and let your taste buds do the talking. You won’t regret it!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso i'm here in salt lake city utah now when you find yourself cruising down state street and when you see a fried chicken place you slow down a little bit and then you look closer at the sign you say wait a second does that say curry in front of it i got to check it out this is curry fried chicken fried chicken is coming up it's like east meets western salt lake city it's a flavor bomb we got two more minutes on the curry kebabs amazing like they use traditional spices like the pakistani flavors sonny nasar learned to cook with at his parents popular joint down the street perfect look at that now he and his wife eerim how's your mail are adding to his family's local reputation my mom dad opening up korean hurry back in 98 that's the first halal restaurant in utah we had people coming in that never even ever but what you're doing is taking traditional fried chicken that everybody knows understands but putting the curry spin to it this combination is mind-blowing i find myself just like craving it sometimes it's just like a really powerful filling of spices what are we starting with my brother so we're making our house garam masala so toast in the spices yeah start with the coriander whole black pepper mustard seeds clove cumin a bunch of cinnamon and bailey's bay leaf well you really are putting a toast on that there it is we'll be back next week it works real deal garam masala black pepper this is an indian chili powder it's spicy actually salt hot curry powder it goes in the batter in the brine as well as on top of the chicken so now we make the brine water vinegar lemon juice black pepper salt curry powder house garam masala that we just made ginger ginger garlic add our cut chicken to the brine for 24 hours next up we add our house spice to it chicken breading how long does that take to fry about 15 minutes so now we're making our lentil curry add the water the yellow lentils green lentils salt garam masala hot curry powder crushed chili peppers pack is steady foods that hot it is the indian chili powder again let's let that cook about two hours or so and then oil the onions cumin so that's gonna be the sizzle that's gonna go on top of the lentils let's plate it our lentils and our mixed veggie curry right on top of the rice that's it our house ranch chili sambal for more spice on my salad house pita and our curry fried chicken you season it off with that house spice you know that that lime chicken chicken winner winner chicken dinner there we go if all you sold with spicy lentils i would show up that's it the lentils are really gangster so the fried chicken that's good crisp on that i like to get the pita bread put everything in it and just make like a little bite of it it's good stuff to get all that curry spice then you get the moisture and the fat of the chicken wow that's a lot of flavor bro real deal thank you two curry fried chicken plates this chicken is unique it wrecks fried chicken there's so much flavor in it oh it's very crunchy very juicy youso i'm here in salt lake city utah now when you find yourself cruising down state street and when you see a fried chicken place you slow down a little bit and then you look closer at the sign you say wait a second does that say curry in front of it i got to check it out this is curry fried chicken fried chicken is coming up it's like east meets western salt lake city it's a flavor bomb we got two more minutes on the curry kebabs amazing like they use traditional spices like the pakistani flavors sonny nasar learned to cook with at his parents popular joint down the street perfect look at that now he and his wife eerim how's your mail are adding to his family's local reputation my mom dad opening up korean hurry back in 98 that's the first halal restaurant in utah we had people coming in that never even ever but what you're doing is taking traditional fried chicken that everybody knows understands but putting the curry spin to it this combination is mind-blowing i find myself just like craving it sometimes it's just like a really powerful filling of spices what are we starting with my brother so we're making our house garam masala so toast in the spices yeah start with the coriander whole black pepper mustard seeds clove cumin a bunch of cinnamon and bailey's bay leaf well you really are putting a toast on that there it is we'll be back next week it works real deal garam masala black pepper this is an indian chili powder it's spicy actually salt hot curry powder it goes in the batter in the brine as well as on top of the chicken so now we make the brine water vinegar lemon juice black pepper salt curry powder house garam masala that we just made ginger ginger garlic add our cut chicken to the brine for 24 hours next up we add our house spice to it chicken breading how long does that take to fry about 15 minutes so now we're making our lentil curry add the water the yellow lentils green lentils salt garam masala hot curry powder crushed chili peppers pack is steady foods that hot it is the indian chili powder again let's let that cook about two hours or so and then oil the onions cumin so that's gonna be the sizzle that's gonna go on top of the lentils let's plate it our lentils and our mixed veggie curry right on top of the rice that's it our house ranch chili sambal for more spice on my salad house pita and our curry fried chicken you season it off with that house spice you know that that lime chicken chicken winner winner chicken dinner there we go if all you sold with spicy lentils i would show up that's it the lentils are really gangster so the fried chicken that's good crisp on that i like to get the pita bread put everything in it and just make like a little bite of it it's good stuff to get all that curry spice then you get the moisture and the fat of the chicken wow that's a lot of flavor bro real deal thank you two curry fried chicken plates this chicken is unique it wrecks fried chicken there's so much flavor in it oh it's very crunchy very juicy you\n"