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5.0 from 6 votes

Salt and Pepper Chicken

This homemade crispy Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken is made with tender chicken thighs lightly battered, pan-fried till crispy, and tossed with plenty of chillies&garlic.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4 portions
Calories: 545 kcal
Course: Main Course , Appetizer , Snacks
Cuisine: Asian , Chinese

Ingredients

For the Chicken
  • 700 g chicken thighs
  • 100 g cornflour
  • 2 small eggs
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 50 g corn or wheat starch
For the Vegetables
  • 1 red chilli (finely sliced)
  • ½ sweet red pepper (finely sliced)
  • 3 cloves garlic (finely sliced)
  • 4 spring onions (finely sliced)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • vegetable or sunflower oil for frying

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Mix the cornflour, eggs, rice wine, salt, Chinese five-spice and freshly ground black pepper in a bowl.
  2. Put the corn starch onto a large flat plate.
  3. Dice chicken thighs into even bite-size pieces and then cover them with batter.
  4. Remove the chicken pieces from the batter and then add them to the plate with corn starch.
  5. Toss the chicken pieces until it is all evenly coated. Do not let the coated batter sit too long before putting them in hot oil or the moisture of the chicken will soak up the cornflour.
  6. Heat ½ cup of oil in a wok. It might take a while until it gets really hot, depending on your pan and stove.
  7. Add the coated chicken pieces to the pan and fry for a few minutes, until lightly browned. Do it in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
  8. Stir the chicken pieces to brown the other side, and cook for a further 5 to 6 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and brown and crispy on the outside.
  9. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan, and set them aside on a piece of kitchen roll to get rid of excess oil. Keep them warm while cooking the vegetables.
  10. Add chilies, red peppers, and garlic to the same wok, add a little oil if needed, and sauté for a minute.
  11. Stir in the spring onions and salt, and cook for another minute.
  12. Add the cooked chicken pieces to the wok, stir well to coat them in the vegetable mix, and cook for a few more minutes.
  13. Remove from heat and serve on a bed of rice or noodles.

Notes

  • Choose your chiles based on how spicy you want the dish to be. You can replace it with extra red and green bell pepper if you don't like the heat at all.
  • Do not overcrowd the pan or air frying tray with the chicken pieces. Try to cook in batches to get a perfectly fried, crispy, and brown salt and pepper chicken.
  • This is a really quick recipe and the stir-frying takes less than 5 minutes so do your preparation in advance before you start cooking.
  • Use a neutral-flavored, high-smoke-point oil for pan-frying such as sunflower, peanut, canola, corn, vegetable, or grapeseed oil.
  • The frying time depends on your pan and stove, take my timings as a guide and keep an eye on your chicken when frying. An electric stove and nonstick pan will take longer than a powerful gas stove and heavy-duty pan.
  • When sautéing the garlic, chili, peppers, and spring onions, use low heat to avoid them burning.

Nutrition Information

Calories 545kcal (27%) Carbohydrates 38g (13%) Protein 29g (58%) Fat 29g (45%) Saturated Fat 8g (40%) Polyunsaturated Fat 6g Monounsaturated Fat 12g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 172mg (57%) Sodium 1014mg (42%) Potassium 450mg (13%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 366IU (7%) Vitamin C 19mg (21%) Calcium 34mg (3%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4portions

Amount Per Serving

Calories 545

% Daily Value*

Calories 545kcal 27%
Carbohydrates 38g 13%
Protein 29g 58%
Fat 29g 45%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Polyunsaturated Fat 6g 35%
Monounsaturated Fat 12g 60%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 172mg 57%
Sodium 1014mg 42%
Potassium 450mg 10%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 366IU 7%
Vitamin C 19mg 21%
Calcium 34mg 3%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.