Dry the chicken and chop it up (see the tip). Coarsely chop pumpkin seeds and mix them with the crumbs on a plate. Put the flour on a second plate and beat the eggs on a third, deeper plate. Season pieces of chicken and bread them in first flour, then eggs, and finally the breadcrumbs and pumpkin seeds mixture. Heat the lard in a high skillet to approximately 170°C and fry the chicken for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Drain the pieces on paper towels.

Cook unpeeled potatoes for the salad in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes ensuring they do not get too soft. Then strain them and leave in a covered pot to cool; once cooled, peel them and cut into slices. Peel and slice the onion. Bring the stock to a boil, add the onions, bring it to a boil again and then pour it over the potatoes. Add the vinegar, oil, mustard, icing sugar and salt and stir. Set it aside for about 30 minutes, then season if necessary. Cut the apple into tiny slices and mix it into the salad.

Prepare the mayonnaise by mixing the egg yolks, vinegar, mustard, 30 ml water, cayenne pepper and half a teaspoon of salt in a bowl with a hand mixer. Slowly add both types of oil and keep mixing to get the desired consistency.

Serve the fried chicken with the salad and mayonnaise.

How to cut up a chicken

Start by cutting off the wings of the cleaned chicken. Bend the wing outwards and cut it off with the part of the breast; then, find the thighbone socket and cut through it. Some chefs do not cut off the wings but leave them on the breast instead. Remove and discard the upper part of the wing.

Lay the chicken on its back and separate the thighs by cutting the skin between the breast and the drumstick. Use a knife to find the joint between the leg and the spine, and then bend the leg back until the thighbone pops out of its socket. Cut the leg together with the oval piece of meat. Turn the chicken over and repeat with the other leg.

Cut off the breast. Cut into the meat by the centrebone, and then split the centrebone. Lay the chicken with the breast side down and cut off the spine with the ribs. If you do not cut off the wings, they remain on the breast. Discard the spine or use it for stock.

If you have a large chicken, divide the legs by cutting through the joints, and diagonally cut the breast in half by cutting through the meat and ribs. If you wish, you can remove the skin from the legs and breast.

Recipe is from PP cook book Smells like home, contributed by Regina Pühringer, Austria.