$15 Fakeaway Friday: The Eggplant Boys' homemade 'Nando's' chicken and chips

Recreate your own version of Nando's chicken and chips at home. Photo / Supplied

In 2022 it seems almost impossible to save money, buy good food and treat yourself all at the same time. Enter Fakeaway Fridays, the Herald's new series where we create fake takeaway (fakeaway) meals that not only are delicious and nutritious but also come in under $15 and serve 2-4 people.

So instead of dropping $50 for a takeaway meal this Friday night, why not try a Fakeaway! It's easier than you may think with our simple tips and tricks and partially-made products already hiding on your supermarket shelves.

When it comes to saving pennies and forgoing the UberEats, Charlie & Seymore, the duo behind foodie 'gram Eggplant Boys, have a few tricks up their sleeve for nailing an at home special that's cheaper (and dare we say it – tastier?).

Known for their innovative twists on comfort foods, the two have knocked up some pretty impressive fakeaways, from air-fried chicken nuggets to most recently an eggplant boi burger.

To achieve that crisp charcoal flavour, use a grill (we used the Lodge Sportsman Charcoal Grill with a low level of hot charcoals).

Taking on the iconic Nando's Chicken & Chips ($33), the Eggplant Boys have mastered their own recreation with a charcoal twist, utilising many ingredients you may already have in your pantry.

Charcoal Chicken & Chips

Ingredients

Whole frozen chicken - $12
500g whole potatoes, sliced into chips – $1.50
4 cloves garlic, minced – 40c
Juice of 1 lemon – 90c
2 tsp paprika - about 33c for this portion ($2 for whole spice)
1 tsp oregano - about 20c for this portion ($2 for whole herbs)
1/2 tsp chilli flakes - about 18c for this portion ($2 for whole spice)

Total: about $15.51 and feeds 3-4 people

Method

First, butterfly your chicken by cutting down the spine, which helps the chicken to cook evenly

Mix together the minced garlic cloves, lemon juice, paprika and oregano with some olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper until it forms a paste

Place the chicken and paste into a ziplock bag, ensuring the chicken gets covered in the paste. Let marinate for a few hours or the night before if you're extra prepared

To achieve that crisp charcoal flavour, use a grill. Place chicken breast side down until crispy brown, then flip and cook until brown. If you have a thermometer, cook until it says 165F, otherwise check the gap between leg and breast for pinkness

While chicken cooks, deep fry potato chips in a camp cast iron oven until crispy brown. This helps ensure the chips crisp evenly

Let cool and serve!

All you need for this recipe are some pantry staples, a whole chicken and a few potatoes. Photo / Supplied