🥘 Ingredients
- 1 pound BBQ-marinated boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 English muffins, split and torn into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil, divided
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
- 1 medium carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced with white and green parts separated
- 8 fresh curry leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons roasted Sri Lankan curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 small red onion, very finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
⚠️ Allergen Information
- Wheat and gluten
- Egg
- Coconut
- Soy, mustard, milk, or sesame may be present in the prepared BBQ marinade or English muffins; check package labels
👨🍳 Instructions
- Combine the shredded coconut, red onion, 1 tablespoon lime juice, red pepper flakes, cilantro, and a pinch of salt. Massage with your fingertips for about 30 seconds, then set this quick coconut sambol aside so the onion can soften.
- Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Arrange the torn English muffin pieces cut-side down and toast for 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally, until dry at the edges and deeply golden in spots. Transfer them to a plate.
- Wipe excess marinade from the chicken to prevent scorching. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 5 to 7 minutes per side, adjusting the heat if the BBQ sugars darken too quickly, until the center reaches 165°F. Transfer to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before chopping into small pieces. Discard any marinade that contacted raw chicken.
- Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the cabbage, carrot, scallion whites, and curry leaves. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, keeping the vegetables slightly crisp.
- Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, and turmeric. Toss continuously for about 45 seconds, until aromatic.
- Push the vegetables to the edges of the skillet. Pour the beaten eggs into the center and scramble for 30 to 60 seconds, then fold them through the vegetables.
- Add the toasted English muffin pieces and chopped BBQ chicken. Using two sturdy wooden spatulas, repeatedly chop, fold, and toss the mixture for 2 minutes, mimicking the energetic technique used to make Sri Lankan kottu roti.
- Stir together the coconut milk, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour it around the skillet and continue chopping and tossing for 2 to 3 minutes, until the muffin pieces absorb the curry sauce but retain chewy, crisp edges.
- Fold in the scallion greens. Taste and adjust with salt or lime juice, then divide among bowls. Top generously with the coconut sambol and serve with lime wedges.
📖 Backstory
The Kottu Be Cluckin’ BBQ Muffin Mash-Up was born during a thunderstorm, when my pantry contained exactly four English muffins and the kind of confidence normally reserved for people who own restaurants on boats. I had been studying the rhythmic clang-and-chop technique of Sri Lankan kottu roti, and although I lacked roti, street-side griddles, and any legitimate percussion training, I did possess two spatulas and a profound unwillingness to order takeout. The muffins looked nervous. I reassured them that culinary history rarely asks permission.
I seared BBQ-marinated chicken until smoky and glossy, then tore the muffins into bite-size pieces and sent them tumbling into the pan with eggs and a green avalanche of sliced cabbage. What followed was less “cooking” and more a one-person kitchen concert: chop, scrape, toss, clang. A neighbor knocked to ask whether I was renovating. I handed him a forkful. He immediately withdrew his complaint and, to my knowledge, began reconsidering his life’s purpose.
The result was an improbable summit meeting between Sri Lankan kottu technique and American backyard-barbecue bravado—crispy at the edges, tender in the middle, sweet, savory, and delightfully unruly. I named it Kottu Be Cluckin’ because “International Muffin-Based Griddle Diplomacy” would not fit on the recipe card. Since that evening, I have prepared it with the solemnity of a cultural ambassador and the arm speed of a short-order drummer, which is a title I awarded myself after the second serving.