What You Need
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 6 skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into quarters
- 1 cup canola oil, divided
- 1 onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1 red chili, chopped into small pieces
- 1 green chili, chopped into small pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 3 spring onions (scallions), roughly chopped
Coat the Chicken
Mix cornstarch, salt, pepper, and five-spice in a large bowl.
Add chicken pieces and toss until coated evenly. The cornstarch is what makes that crispy shell.
Fry It Up
Heat all but 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over high. Test with a wooden spoon handle – bubbles should form immediately.
Add chicken one piece at a time. Don’t crowd – work in batches. Fry ~5-7 minutes, flipping once halfway.
You want deep golden brown and 165F internal. Drain on paper towels. Turn off heat when done.
Make the Base
While second batch fries, heat reserved tablespoon oil in another pan over medium-high.
Add onion chunks, both chilis, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir-fry ~2-3 minutes until onion softens with some color.
Reduce to medium. Add garlic and spring onions. Stir ~1 minute – fragrant but not burnt.
Bring It Together
Add all fried chicken to the aromatics pan. Toss ~1 minute to heat through and coat with flavors.
Serve immediately while crispy. Perfect with steamed rice.
Chicken thighs stay juicier than breast when fried. The two-pan method keeps the coating crispy – if you fry everything in the aromatics pan, it gets soggy. Fresh chilis matter here – dried won’t give the same pop.
Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 6 skinless chicken thigh fillets cut into quarters
- 1 cup canola oil divided
- 1 onion peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1 red chili chopped into small pieces
- 1 green chili chopped into small pieces
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 3 spring onions scallions, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Mix cornstarch, salt, pepper, and five-spice in bowl.
- Coat chicken pieces in seasoned cornstarch mixture.
- Heat oil in large pan over high heat until bubbling.
- Fry chicken in batches 5-7 minutes until golden brown and 165F internal. Drain on paper towels.
- In separate pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high.
- Stir-fry onion and chilis 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic and spring onions, cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add fried chicken to aromatics pan, toss 1 minute to combine.
- Serve immediately with steamed rice.
