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Chinese Battered Chicken with Dark Soy and Five Spice
Chinese Battered Chicken with Garlic, Ginger, and Five Spice Crunch
Five Spice Chicken with Light, Crispy Coating, and better than takeaway
Why you’ll love and enjoy Sticky Crisp Chinese Battered Chicken
It’s bold, crunchy, and deeply savoury with just enough sweetness to keep you reaching back in. This one delivers proper takeaway vibes without leaving your kitchen.
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Sticky Crisp Chinese Battered Chicken
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Marinate: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 portions depending on size 1x
- Category: Poultry Recipes
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
Home-fried Sticky Crisp Chinese Battered Chicken brings bold Chinese flavours to your kitchen
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 kg chicken pieces of choice
- Oil, for deep frying
Marinade
- 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 level tsp five spice powder
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
Batter
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ml bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 10 ml oil
- Cold water, enough to form a smooth batter
Instructions
- In a large glass bowl, mix 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 1 level tsp five spice powder, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, and 1/2 cup dark soy sauce until the sugar has fully dissolved.
- Add 1 kg chicken pieces and coat well using clean or gloved hands.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but overnight is best. If you remember, give it a turn every few hours so everything stays evenly flavoured.
- In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 ml bicarbonate of soda, and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Stir in 1 tsp white vinegar and 10 ml oil, then slowly add cold water a little at a time until you’ve got a smooth batter.
- You want it to coat the back of a spoon without being thick or gluey. Cover and refrigerate alongside the chicken.
- Take both the chicken and batter out of the fridge about 30 minutes before frying.
- Cold batter hitting hot oil can cause uneven frying.
- Drain the chicken well, shaking off excess marinade.
- Lightly wipe any heavy drips with a paper towel, but don’t rinse it. Return the chicken to the same bowl.
- Pour the chilled batter over the chicken and mix gently until every piece is coated.
- Heat oil to a moderately high temperature, about 170°C to 175°C. This lets the chicken cook through without burning the batter.
- Using tongs, lift each piece and let excess batter drip off before gently lowering it into the oil.
- Fry in batches; don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Cook until golden brown, crisp, and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes per batch, depending on size.
- Drain on a paper towel and skim out loose crispy bits between batches so they don’t burn.
- Optional but worth it: once all chicken is cooked, increase the oil heat slightly and refry quickly for extra crunch.
- Serve hot with fried rice, noodles, or, honestly, just straight off the plate.
Notes
Created, prepared, tried, and tested Melanie: SA Tasty Recipes, Saffas Daily Recipes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 362
- Sugar: 3.3 g
- Sodium: 2022 mg
- Fat: 6.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.4 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 41.3 g
- Cholesterol: 121.6 mg
Tender chicken coated in a golden, crunchy batter full of garlic, ginger, and five-spice.
Sticky Crisp Chinese Battered Chicken is golden, crunchy, and bursting with five-spice and dark soy flavours. Each bite is juicy, perfectly coated, and satisfying, making it impossible not to dig in immediately.
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Thanks for dropping in and checking out the recipes and what’s on offer.
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That sounds and looks so delicious! We don’t have battered chicken at any of our local Chinese food places but yum!
Hi Joanne. Hope you will give this one a try at home as you mentioned you’re unable to find them at your Chinese food shops. Enjoy