Description
Salt and Chilli Chicken is a popular takeaway-inspired dish featuring crispy fried chicken thighs tossed in a savory, spicy stir-fry with peppers, onions, spring onion, and chillies. It’s packed with bold flavors and a delightfully crunchy texture, making it perfect as a flavorful main course with a dry finish, ideal to pair with rice, noodles, or dipped in curry sauce.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Chicken Marinade
- 600g / 1.3lb boneless skinless Chicken Thighs, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
- 1 tsp White Pepper
- 1 tsp Fine/Table Salt
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely grated into a paste
For the Breading & Frying
- 160g / 2 packed cups Cornflour/Cornstarch, plus more if needed
- 1 medium Egg, beaten
- 360ml / 1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil, or as needed
Stir Fry
- 1 small/medium White Onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 Red Pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 Green Pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely diced
- 2 Red Birds Eye Chillies, thinly sliced
- 2 Spring Onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp Flaky Sea Salt
- 1/4 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
- 1/8 tsp White Pepper
Instructions
- Marinate the Chicken: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the sliced chicken thighs with sesame oil, grated garlic, Chinese five spice, white pepper, and salt. Toss well to coat all pieces, then cover and let them marinate for 30 minutes to infuse flavor and tenderize the meat.
- Dredge the Chicken in Cornflour: Add cornflour to a large shallow dish. Sprinkle about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the cornflour into the marinated chicken and use your hands to evenly coat. Let the chicken sit for a few minutes; it will feel sticky, which helps the coating adhere.
- Coat with Egg and Final Cornflour Layer: Pour in the beaten egg and mix well so each piece is coated. One at a time, thoroughly coat each chicken piece in more cornflour, squeezing the flour into crevices to create plenty of flaky bits for extra crunch. Shake off excess and arrange on a tray. Add extra cornflour if necessary.
- Fry the Chicken: Heat about 3/4 inch (2 cm) of vegetable oil in a heavy-based or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat to 190°C/375°F. Working in 2-3 batches, carefully fry the chicken pieces for approximately 3 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Remove the chicken and set on a wire rack with paper towel underneath to drain. Allow the oil to reheat between batches if needed.
- Stir Fry the Vegetables: In a wok or deep pan set over high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the used frying oil. When hot, add the sliced onion, red and green peppers, diced garlic, and chillies. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until just beginning to soften.
- Toss Chicken & Finish: Return the fried chicken to the wok along with sliced spring onions, flaky sea salt, extra Chinese five spice, and white pepper. Toss everything together over high heat until the chicken is well coated and everything is well mixed, about 1 minute.
- Serve: Serve immediately while the chicken is hot and crisp. Enjoy on its own or with rice, noodles, or curry sauce on the side.
Notes
- Use chicken thighs only for best texture and flavor; chicken breast will dry out.
- Adjust the number of red Bird’s Eye chillies for your spice preference; two gives a strong kick similar to Chinese takeaway, use more for extra heat.
- The marinade seasoning should use regular table salt so it distributes well; finish with flaky sea salt for flavor bursts, or use regular salt (start with half the amount) if sea salt isn’t available.
- This is a dry dish; serving it with curry sauce or as part of a platter works great.
- Nutritional info is per serving with the whole recipe divided by 4, not including any added sauces or sides.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
- Calories: 486 kcal
- Sugar: 3.87 g
- Sodium: 895 mg
- Fat: 18.84 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.747 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.415 g
- Trans Fat: 0.034 g
- Carbohydrates: 45.04 g
- Fiber: 2.2 g
- Protein: 32.44 g
- Cholesterol: 182 mg
