Description
Home-fried Sticky Crisp Chinese Battered Chicken brings bold Chinese flavours to your kitchen
Ingredients
Units
Scale
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
