Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken Recipe

If you love to order crispy salt and pepper chicken from a Chinese takeout, then here's how you can make this moreish dish at home! With spiced crispy chicken fried, served with stir fry tangy vegetables and green and red chilies, it's the perfect treat any day of the week!

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Keyword: chicken, chinese chicken, chinese food, crispy chicken, fakeaway, fried chicken, stir fry, takeaway

Servings: people

Calories: 952kcal

Author: Vikkie Lee

Equipment

Ingredients

Deep Fried Chicken

70 g Cornflour (⅔ cup)
¼ tablespoon Salt
½ tablespoon Pepper
⅔ tablespoon Chinese 5 Spice
244 ml Vegetable oil 1 cup
550 g Chicken thighs Boneless & skinless

Stir Fry Vegetables

1 Onion diced
200 g Green beans trimmed and cut into 1-2" lengths
2 cloves Garlic minced
¼ tablespoon Salt
¼ tablespoon Black pepper
4 Spring onions trimmed and sliced
2 Green chillies trimmed, deseeded and sliced
1 Red chilli trimmed, deseeded and sliced

Drizzle

1 teaspoon Honey
1 teaspoon Light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sesame oil (optional)

Instructions

First, mix the dry ingredients for the deep-fried chicken in a large mixing bowl.
Add the bite-sized chicken pieces to the cornflour mixture and combine with your hands until every bit is coated.
Pour the oil into a large deep frying pan and heat over medium heat.
Test to see if it is hot enough with a dried piece of spaghetti to see if bubbles form around it.
Add the chicken pieces in batches and fry on each side for 4 minutes until golden brown while flipping with kitchen tongues.
Place them on a plate lined with kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.
Once all of the chicken is cooked, pour the leftover oil into a heat-proof container for another time.
Now clean the pan to fry for a second time and add 2 tablespoon of the original oil.
Then add the minced garlic, onions, and green beans and fry over medium-high heat until softened.
This should take 2-3 minutes.
Next, add the sliced spring onions, mixed chillies, salt, and black pepper mixture.
Now fry for 1 minute while stirring.
Add the crispy chicken back to the pan and fry for a further minute until the chicken is heated through.
Then drizzle over the honey, soy sauce, and sesame seed oil if using before serving.

Video

Notes

- Fry the chicken on both sides to ensure it is cooked through as well as crispy

- To test if the chicken isn't raw, I break up a large piece to see if there is no pink in the middle. Alternatively, you can check the internal temperature with a thermometer to ensure it is a minimum of 74°C (165°F)

- Use boneless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts as they are more juicy, tender, and flavorsome - whereas breasts are leaner meat

- To ensure the cooking oil is at the right temperature, you can test with a long strand of dried spaghetti and if it bubbles around it, the oil is ready for frying

- Don't overcrowd the pan when frying your thighs or crispy wings! You'll need to keep tabs on which chicken bites you have flipped halfway through to ensure they are thoroughly cooked
- Wear disposable gloves when handling chillies to prevent accidentally touching your eyes, mouth, etc with chillied fingers

Nutrition