Salt and chilli chicken, a spin on a takeaway favourite of fried chook flavoured with Chinese five spice tossed with lots of spicy chillies.
Cooking in 25 minutes also means that this homemade Chinese-style takeaway inspired dinner is quicker than waiting for the delivery driver and a whole lot cheaper.
Chinese Salted Chilli Chicken
If you have visited my site before you may know I have a fondness for fakeaway recipes.
This salt and chilli chicken recipe is a takeaway-inspired dish that can be cooked at home quickly and more cheaply than your local takeaway.
It joins dishes like special fried rice, salt and pepper prawns, Szechuan beef, Chinese chicken curry, kung po prawns and of course chicken with black bean sauce as Chinese takeaway favourites.
It is super quick to cook, is all sorts of indulgent and tastes fantastic.
Dishes like this may seem intimidating but cooking them is simple so long as you do all of your prep work first!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a deep-fat fryer to cook the chicken?
Absolutely! Your dinner will be ready even quicker and your chicken even more crispy if you do this.
Simply drop the chicken into the fryer whilst you are frying the veggies. Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes and transfer to the wok after draining on kitchen paper.
What type of chilli should I use?
As with many of my recipes I use fresh cayenne peppers for this dish. They are easy to find here and I find their heat level just about perfect for me.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes, I like to use chicken breast or chicken fillets for this recipe.
But you can make it just as easily with chicken thighs, cut them into evenly sized pieces and follow my recipe.
Can this be made in advance?
Not really no. As with most fried dishes this needs to be cooked and eaten immediately or it will go soggy and greasy.
Serving Suggestions
This salt and chilli chicken recipe is good with many classic takeaway side dishes.
I like to serve it with simple soy sauce noodles or egg-fried rice.
But it is also exceptionally good with both my stir-fried asparagus or stir-fried broccoli recipes.
I’ve even served this with some potato wedges and a bit of hoisin sauce, cause that’s the way I roll!
Equipment Used
I only recommend brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Stovetop.
- Wok, I use a large carbon steel wok on an induction hob.
- Mixing bowls, various sizes.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
- Whisk.
Salt and Chilli Chicken Recipe
This salt and chilli chicken recipe is a super quick and delicious homemade takeaway favourite that will have you dumping those takeaway menus.
Ingredients
- 350g (12oz) Chicken Breast
- ½ Tsp White Pepper
- ½ Tsp Dried Chilli Flakes
- 1 Tsp Chinese Five Spice
- 1 Tsp Coarse Sea Salt
- 75g (½ Cup) Red Onion
- 1 Small Pepper (I use half of a red and half of a green pepper)
- 1 Green Chilli Pepper
- 1 Red Chilli Pepper
- 1 Egg White
- 25g (¼ Cup) Cornflour or Cornstarch
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breast into 3 strips lengthways, then each of those strips into 4-5mm thick strips at a 45 degree angle across the meat.
- Mix the chicken with the salt. Then add the white pepper, dried chili flakes and Chinese five spice, mix well and set aside.
- Top and tail, then peel the red onion, cut it in half lengthways then in half again widthways. Finally, slice it into 5-7mm thick strips.
- Slice the chillies into rounds around 2mm thick.
- Slice the pepper into strips approximately 5-7mm long and 4-5 cm long.
- Place 3-4cm of oil in the base of a wok and heat to 180°C or 350°F.
- Lightly whip the egg white until foamy.
- Add the egg white to the salted chicken and mix well to coat.
- Sprinkle over the cornflour mix and mix, you do not need to be too thorough with this.
- Add the chicken to the wok and fry for 3-4 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- Place the chicken on kitchen paper to soak up any oil.
- Drain the oil from the wok apart from a scant covering.
- Return the wok to the heat and when hot add the chilli, onion and peppers and stir fry for 2 minutes.
- Add in the chicken and stir fry for a final minute or two to reheat.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 840Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 199mgSodium: 2317mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 76g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.