Homemade salt and pepper chicken served in a tray

Taiwan, a small, sweet-potato-shaped island off the east coast of the China mainland, is world-famous for its incredible street food scene. Salt’n’Pepper Chicken (pronounced Yán Sū Jī in Mandarin) is one of Taiwanese people’s favorite night market munchies, normally eaten out of a basket or paper bag. It’s sort of like popcorn chicken, made from bite-size tender breast or thigh cuts with a crunchy coating seasoned with zesty and refreshing ginger and five-spice. It’s like a party on your palate!

Unfortunately, constantly eating deep-fried street snacks isn’t so good for the waistline. Plus, it always makes a mess in the kitchen and produces a ton of leftover oil. So I’ve come up with a recipe that avoids the deep-frying method and drastically reduces the calorie count. The look of the final product might not be as perfect as the deep-fried version, but the flavor is out of this world! You’ll get the same crispy result using a large skillet at high temperature and a fraction of the oil, allowing you to indulge in your night market cravings guilt-free.

Taiwanese Homemade salt and pepper chicken

Cooking notes

1. The marinade

The marinade is the highlight of the recipe. It uses brown sugar, fresh ginger and garlic to impart a rich taste to the chicken. Ideally, marinating in the fridge overnight will help the chicken develop a deeper flavor. But if you’re short on time, you can let the chicken marinate at room temperature for half an hour, and the result will be great, as well.

Marinating chicken

3. The batter

The simple mix of egg and cornstarch does its magic. Not only does it create crispy chicken, but the cooked coating also holds well and stays crispy even after you chill the chicken for a while. When you mix the batter for the shallow fry, keep in mind that the batter should look a bit dry and not runny.

On the other hand, if you do prefer to deep fry the chicken, the batter works just as great.

4. How to shallow fry

I’ve tried shallow frying with a nonstick pan and a carbon steel pan. They both work very well.

Different from deep-frying, shallow frying requires you to flip the chicken to sear both sides properly and develop the crispy coating.

Also, keep in mind that cooking time varies quite a bit depending on the pan and your stove. If you’re using a light nonstick pan and an electric stove, it will take longer to brown and cook the chicken through. When using a heavy-duty pan (such as a cast iron or carbon steel pan) with a powerful gas stove, the cooking time might be cut in half. Always keep an eye on the bottom of the chicken, and cook it according to your own observations.

Salt and pepper chicken cooking step-by-step

Homemade salt and pepper chicken close-up

5. Spice mix

I made more spice mix than you might use in the recipe, so you can serve some on the side to adjust the flavor based on personal preference.

6. No basil? no problem

The authentic Taiwanese-style salt and pepper chicken uses fried crispy basil leaves to add another flavor dimension to the dish. But it does require some extra effort to cook. I’ve found that dried nori sheets have a similar texture and an equally interesting taste. You can simply shred some nori and add it to the chicken and skip frying the basil.

You can use the large nori sheets that are made for sushi rolls, or the small snack size ones that are sold in grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s.

Homemade salt and pepper chicken

How to cook salt and pepper chicken video

I recorded a short video to show you how easy it is to cook this dish. Find more videos to learn Chinese cooking on my YouTube channel!

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Homemade salt and pepper chicken close-up

Salt and Pepper Chicken Without Deep-Frying (椒盐鸡)

By Maggie Zhu
4.96 from 22 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Marinating time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Print
This Taiwanese salt and pepper chicken recipe uses minimal oil to create the most scrumptious result. These chicken bites are super crispy, juicy, and bursting with flavor. {Gluten-Free}

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound (450 grams) boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts) , cut to 1-inch (2-cm) pieces
  • 1 egg , beaten
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 small batch basil (or nori sheets) (*Footnote 1)

Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves garlic , finely grated
  • 2 teaspoons ginger , finely grated
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar (or regular sugar)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Spice Mix

  • 2 teaspoons white pepper powder
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar (or regular sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder

Instructions

  • Combine the chicken and the marinade ingredients in a big bowl. Mix well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to overnight in the fridge.
  • Combine the ingredients for the spice mix in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Note, this recipe prepares more spice mix than you might use, so you can adjust the seasoning according to your preference.
  • When you’re ready to cook, add the beaten egg into the bowl with the chicken. Stir to mix well. Add the cornstarch. Stir to coat the chicken, until it forms an uneven coating with a little dry cornstarch left unattached. The batter should be quite dry and not very runny.
  • Add the oil to a large skillet (nonstick or carbon steel), just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chicken one piece at a time using a pair of chopsticks or tongs. Turn to medium heat if the pan starts to smoke too much.
  • Cook the chicken until the bottom turns golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip to brown the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. (Alternatively, you can deep-fry the chicken with more oil at 350 F (176 C) until golden brown.) Transfer chicken to a large plate and remove the pan from the stove to let it cool a bit.
  • Your pan should still have a thin layer of oil remaining in it. If not, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil. Heat over medium heat. Spread the basil leaves. Cook the bottom side for 30 seconds. Flip to cook the other side until crispy. Transfer the basil leaves to a large plate to cool.
  • While the chicken is still hot, sprinkle about half of the spice mix over the chicken and gently toss it with a pair of tongs. Taste the chicken. Add more spice mix if needed. Add the cooked basil leaves and toss again.
  • Serve as an appetizer.
  • You can store the leftover chicken in a sealed container in the fridge. To reheat the chicken, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Heat the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

  1. The crispy basil leaves add another flavor dimension to the dish, but it does require some extra effort to cook them. I’ve found that dried nori sheets have a similar texture and equally interesting taste. You can simply shred some nori and add it to the chicken to skip frying the basil.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 329kcal, Carbohydrates: 19.6g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 14.7g, Saturated Fat: 3.6g, Cholesterol: 122mg, Sodium: 710mg, Potassium: 266mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 2.6g, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 1.6mg

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Taiwanese salt and pepper chicken - This recipe uses minimal oil to create the most scrumptious result. These chicken bites are super crispy, juicy, and bursting with flavor. {Gluten-Free}