Crispy Chilli Chicken Recipe
How To Make Chinese Crispy Chilli Chicken
Make crispy chilli chicken with this Chinese takeaway recipe. It’s beautifully golden, easy to make and full of so much flavour.
Chinese crispy shredded chicken coated in a sweet and chilli sauce. Not only is this recipe a real crowd pleaser but it’s delicious and very simple to put together.
It’s the perfect meal to make when you’re feeling for a Chinese fakeaway at home. Pieces of chicken are marinated in a soy sauce mixture before being coated in cornflour and fried till crispy. It’s then tossed in a sweet chilli sauce which is the perfect glaze!
It’s quite similar to my chilli crispy beef and honey chilli chicken recipe.
If you’ve tried my crispy chilli beef, then you will love this crispy chilli chicken too! They’re both delicious and have similarities but this version is made with chicken. It’s also different enough to stand-alone.
What Does Cornflour Do To Chicken?
When chicken is coated in cornflour and fried, a crispy coating is formed which holds sauces better than flour. As cornflour is high in starch, it’s perfect for creating a crispy, crackling coating.
Using cornflour instead of flour makes this recipe naturally gluten-free!
Recipe Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make this crispy chilli chicken recipe:
- Chicken: I used chicken breast which I cut into thin strips.
- Cornflour: This is what makes the shredded chicken really crispy.
- Spring Onions: For added flavour and colour.
- The Marinade: A mixture of dark soy sauce, garlic and ginger paste, sesame oil, sugar and white pepper are mixed to make the marinade.
- Stir-Fry Sauce: The crispy chicken is tossed in a glaze made from honey, sriracha, lemon juice and dark soy sauce.
How To Make Shredded Crispy Chilli Chicken
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make Chinese crispy chicken takeaway style. Full recipe instructions are on the recipe card at the bottom.
Step One:
Prepare your chicken breast by cutting it into thin strips. Then place the chicken into a large mixing bowl and add the marinade ingredients (dark soy sauce, garlic and ginger paste, sesame oil, sugar and white pepper). Leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.
Step Two:
Whilst the chicken is resting, add the stir fry sauce (honey, lemon juice, dark soy sauce and sriracha) into a small mixing bowl and leave aside for later use.
Step Three:
Add an egg white into the chicken and mix well. Pour the cornflour into the chicken and mix thoroughly until each piece of chicken is coated in cornflour.
Step Four:
Heat oil in a wok or frying pan at 180°C and fry the pieces of chicken for 1 to 2 minutes. Once all pieces of chicken is fried, fry the chicken again for 2 to 3 minutes to get it really crispy.
Step Five:
In a clean pan add a tablespoon of oil and fry the garlic and ginger paste for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the stir fry sauce ingredients (honey, lemon juice, dark soy sauce and sriracha) and stir for 30 seconds or until thickened.
Step Six:
Add the crispy chicken and mix into the sweet chilli sauce until evenly distributed. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions and eat straightaway.
How To Store Shredded Crispy Chilli Chicken
To store, place the chicken in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
This recipe works best eaten straightaway. If you have any crispy chilli chicken leftover, the pieces of chicken will be less crispy when reheated.
Make sure the oil is hot before you start frying the chicken. If the oil is not hot, the chicken will absorb the oil and become soggy and greasy. Place a chop stick into the oil, if the oil starts bubbling then it’s ready.
Don’t skip double frying the chicken, it makes the outside coating really crispy!
The sauce mixture is just enough for coating the chicken, doubling the sauce ingredients will give you a generous amount of sauce.
The longer you marinade the chicken for the more flavours the chicken will absorb. Make sure to leave the chicken to marinate for at least 10 minutes or overnight for best results.
If when adding cornflour to the chicken, it starts to clump together. Separate the chicken pieces and coat them in cornflour individually.
Can I Bake The Chicken?
Yes, you can bake the shredded chicken but it won’t be as crispy as frying. If you want to bake the chicken, preheat the oven to 200°C and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and crispy. Turn the chicken over halfway.
FAQs
My not-so-secret tip to the best fried chicken is a combination of FLOUR, CORNSTARCH, and BAKING POWDER. When mixed with the flour, the cornstarch makes the flour coating crispier and gives it that golden brown color! (It has to do with prevention of gluten development.)
What is chilli chicken made of? ›
Boneless chicken pieces are marinated in soya sauce, chili sauce and black pepper. Later coated with cornstarch, flour and egg white, before frying to yield crispy chicken bites. Onions, bell peppers, garlic, chilli sauce, soya sauce and vinegar come together to form a delicious finger-licking good sauce.
Is cornstarch or baking soda better for crispy chicken? ›
The baking powder raises the pH of the surface, allowing it to crisp better*), and tossing in plain cornstarch to absorb some surface moisture and create a rougher texture for the batter to adhere to. *See more on the science of baking powder and chicken wings in this article on oven-fried buffalo wings.
What oil makes chicken the crispiest? ›
Lard is a great choice for frying chicken because it gives your chicken an excellent flavor and unparalleled crispy crust.
What happens if I put cornstarch on chicken? ›
How Do You Cook Crispy Chicken? Cornstarch and high heat mean super-crispy chicken every time. Before cooking, toss the chicken in cornstarch until completely coated. When the cornstarch hits the hot oil, something magic happens and your chicken with gorgeously golden, crispy edges.
Do you dip chicken in egg before frying? ›
Submerge the chicken in the egg wash. Remove the chicken from the egg wash and dredge it in the flour a second time. Shake off the excess flour and place the chicken skin-side down in the hot oil.
What can I use instead of flour for crispy chicken? ›
You easily can use cornstarch instead of flour as a coating for fried chicken, fried fish, or other fried dishes. Cornstarch will create a crisper coating that will hold up to sauces better and will absorb less of the frying oil (leading to a lower-fat meal).
Why won't my chicken get crispy? ›
Chicken skin needs to be dry in order for it to crisp when cooked. Whether or not you rinse the chicken before prepping, you need to make sure the skin is as dry as possible. After removing the chicken from the package (and washing it, if that is your preferred method) pat each piece dry with paper towels.
How to get crisp chicken? ›
Whether you're roasting it in the oven or cooking it in a skillet on the stove, you want to start with high heat to get a nice crust going. On the stove, get some oil hot enough that it's almost smoking in a skillet, then sear your chicken, skin-side-down until it's nice and crisp.
Why does baking soda make chicken crispy? ›
Furthermore, when baking soda is exposed to the moist environment of the poultry skin, it begins to produce tiny carbon dioxide bubbles. These small air bubbles get trapped in the skin and when the wings are cooked, the bubbles expand, thereby creating a beautifully crispy texture.
'spicy chicken'), also known as dry chili chicken, firecracker chicken, Chongqing chicken, and mala chicken, is a dish of chicken cubes stir-fried in chilis, Szechuan pepper, spicy fermented bean paste, garlic, and ginger. Toasted sesame seeds and sliced spring onions are often used to garnish the dish.
What is a substitute for vinegar in chili chicken? ›
Lemon or Lime Juice
To add extra acidity to your recipe, substitute double the amount of lemon or lime juice for rice vinegar. Summary Lemon or lime juice can add acidity and flavor to sauces, slaws and dressings. You can swap them for rice vinegar in your recipes in a 2:1 ratio.
What country is chili chicken from? ›
Chilli chicken was invented in Calcutta by Chinese restaurateurs — their way of creating a spicy dish to please Indians. Now, every Chinese restaurant across India has its own version. Some are with bones, some are boneless, some are dry, some have gravy, some are starters, others are mains.
What ingredient makes chicken skin crispy? ›
With its slight alkaline level, baking powder reacts with the proteins in chicken skin, accelerating the dehydration process, which—as we learned above—produces a nice, crisp skin.
Is baking powder or soda better for crispy chicken? ›
It may sounds unappealing, but coating chicken wings in seasoned baking powder is what makes the skin super crispy. You won't taste it in the end results, so long as you use aluminium-free. To be clear, make sure you use baking powder, NOT baking soda, because there is a big difference!
What makes chicken have a crunchy texture? ›
According to a 2020 study, woody chicken breast has higher amounts of connective tissue than normal breast meat, which can make the meat tough. The increased growth rate of chickens may be the cause of both this and white striping.
What makes coating crispy? ›
Interestingly, cornstarch contains 25 to 28 percent amylose, which is higher than the amount in wheat or potato starch (which are 20 to 22 percent amylose), and this is why cornstarch works the best for making crispy coatings on fried foods.
