Crispy Chicken without Deep-Frying (香酥鸡)
This recipe offers a new approach to creating crispy and flavorful fried chicken on the stovetop using the minimum amount of oil.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 (700 grams / 1.5 pound) bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (or boneless thighs, or breasts) (*see footnote 1)
Marinade
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry, or Japanese sake)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn (or whole black peppercorn)
- 1/16 teaspoon five spice powder
- 3 green onion , coarsely chopped
- 1 thumb ginger , sliced
Cook
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or potato starch for gluten-free)
- Vegetable oil for frying
Serve
- Hoisin sauce to taste
- green onion , chopped
- Homemade duck pancakes (Optional) (*see footnote 2)
Instructions
Marinate
- Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Mix well. Transfer chicken and the marinade into a ziplock bag. Seal the bag two thirds of the way across. Press as much air out as possible, then seal. Massage the bag a few times so that the marinade covers the surface of the chicken evenly. Marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, or in the fridge overnight.
Steam
- Transfer chicken with all the marinade onto a deep plate. Arrange the chicken so there is as little overlap as possible.
- Add water to the steamer and place the plate of chicken onto the steaming rack. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn to medium-high heat (keeping the water boiling), and steam for 25 to 30 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 74 degrees C (165 F).
- Transfer the chicken to a big mesh strainer on top of a bowl to cool and drain. Wait until it has cooled enough to handle.
Skillet-fry
- (Option 1) Coat chicken evenly with all-purpose flour. Shake off any extra flour.
- (Option 2) Brush chicken with a thin layer of soy sauce (it creates a nice brown color). Coat chicken evenly with potato starch. Shake off any extra starch.
- Heat oil (1/2-cm or 1/4-inch deep) in a wok over medium-high heat until very hot. (*see footnote 3)
- Cook chicken one piece at a time. Carefully place chicken into the wok, skin side down. Cook until the bottom side turns golden brown, about 1 minute. Flip chicken and cook for another minute, until the other side turns golden brown.
- Transfer chicken to a mesh strainer on top of a big bowl to drain the extra oil.
- Cook the rest of the chicken using the same method.
Serve
- Serve the chicken warm. You can serve it as a main and add a side to it. Or you can serve it with pancakes.
- To serve the chicken with pancakes - Cook Chinese pancakes beforehand (or use some that you’ve purchased) and reheat them right before serving (as you let the fried chicken cool). Serve pancakes, chicken, hoisin sauce, chopped green onion, and sliced veggies (cucumber or carrot). Spread a single pancake on a plate, brush a thin layer of hoisin sauce in the center, and top with 1 to 2 pieces fried chicken and a few pieces of green onion. Fold and tuck three sides of the pancake to form a roll, like you’re making a burrito. Enjoy!
Notes
- Boneless chicken breast works too, but the result is not as great as with thighs. They will be tender and moist right after cooking, but become a bit tough after reheating.
- If you don’t want to serve the chicken with pancakes, you can serve it with steamed rice, or add it to noodle soup (such as soy sauce noodles, or tomato noodle soup).
- You can use a skillet to cook the chicken too, but it will require more oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
Nutrition
Serving: 125g, Calories: 262kcal, Carbohydrates: 14.7g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 10.1g, Saturated Fat: 2.5g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Sodium: 336mg, Potassium: 280mg, Fiber: 0.8g, Sugar: 4.4g, Vitamin A: 150IU, Vitamin C: 3.3mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 2mg