Loaded Spiced Chicken Fries

Prep Cut chicken into 3cm cubes. Crack dried lime, tap out seeds, and grind shell to a coarse powder in a mortar. Combine dried lime powder, 0.5 tsp cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl to make machboos spice. Mince garlic. Slice red onion into thin rings. Cut potato into 1cm fries and pat dry on a kitchen towel. Crumble saffron into 2 tbsp hot water and rest 5 minutes. Pick cilantro leaves. Preheat oven to 425F.

Bake Toss potato fries with 2 tbsp neutral oil and 0.25 tsp salt on a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast 25 minutes turning once, until edges are deep gold and centers are tender.

Sear Toss chicken with machboos spice, garlic, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high 90 seconds. Add chicken in a single layer and sear 5 minutes turning often, until every side is deep mahogany and the spice forms a crust.

Simmer Lift chicken to a board and shred into bite-size pieces with two forks. Melt butter in the same skillet over medium 60 seconds. Whisk in flour and cook 90 seconds until walnut-brown. Stream in chicken stock and saffron with its bloom water, whisking constantly. Add 0.25 tsp cardamom, soy sauce, and shredded chicken. Reduce to low and simmer 6 minutes until the gravy turns deep gold and clings to the chicken.

Build 1 Toss red onion rings with juice of half the lime, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Press down and rest 10 minutes until onion turns pink and tender.

Plate Pile hot fries on a wide plate. Scatter cheese curds across the top so they sit between the fries. Spoon machboos chicken and saffron gravy generously over so the curds soften under the heat. Scatter pickled red onion, cilantro, and a final dust of dried lime powder across the top. Serve with remaining lime in wedges.