Crispy chicken is always a crowd-pleaser and this dish, with the wonderfully heady flavours of garlic, ginger and white peppercorns, is right up there for me in terms of proper tasty dishes.
I saw a version of this dish being made on daytime tv many years ago and it still remains in my bank of “go to” dishes whenever I want something delicious but that can be made speedily.
I don’t find that this dish needs a sauce; all it really needs to accompany it is cooked rice, noodles or steamed green veg. However, you can add veg along with the onions: some of my favourites are broccoli florets, asparagus spears, slices of red pepper or carrot batons.
The cornflour in the marinade ensures you get a gooey, flavour-packed layer underneath the crispy outer layer that comes from the additional dusting of cornflour just before frying.
You can use chicken breasts or, for a delicious starter, chicken wings: in which case, go for about 3-4 wings per person and make a few cuts though the skin and down to the bone so the marinade can penetrate. And for wings I would simply pile them onto a plate once cooked for people to dive into.
Recipe: crispy aromatic chicken – serves 2
Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese wine (shaoxing)
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 8-10 white peppercorns, finely crushed, or about 1/2 teaspoon ready ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 2” piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and finely grated or crushed
To cook:
- 2 large chicken thighs, boned and skinned
- 2 tablespoons cornflour mixed with 1 teaspoon salt for dusting
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
- 1 medium onion, any type, peeled and sliced fairly thinly
- 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1-2” piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1 tablespoon Chinese wine
To finish:
- a small red chilli, finely chopped – optional
- finely chopped spring onion or chives
(1) If the chicken thighs are thick, use a sharp knife to cut horizontally through them to get two thin slices per thigh. Otherwise leave them as they are, although you could bash them with a rolling pin between two sheets of cling film if you wish.
(2) Mix the marinade ingredients together in a shallow dish and toss the chicken in it to coat it.
(3) Leave the chicken in the marinade ideally for at least 30 minutes, giving it an occasional turn. However, you can let it marinate for a few hours or even overnight if you prefer, leaving it in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
(4) When you are ready to cook, sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of cornflour on a plate, remove the chicken pieces from the marinate and dip in the cornflour to give a light coating on each side. Don’t throw away any marinade that is left in the dish as it can be spooned over the chicken as it cooks.
(5) Heat the oil on a large pan or wok using a fairly high heat. Once it is hot, turn the heat to medium-low and add the chicken pieces, keeping them a little apart.
(6) Fry the first side for about 4-5 minutes, resisting the urge to move the chicken (it needs to get a nice crust on it that will also help seal in the juices). While this is cooking, you can spoon any of the remaining marinade on top, which will give delicious gnarled pieces on the chicken – don’t worry if any of it drips onto the pan.
(7) Carefully flip the chicken over and cook the other side for 4-5 minutes or until a lovely golden-brown. Transfer them to a plate.
(8) Increase the heat a little and add the onions to the pan. Stir well and fry for about 5 minutes or until the onion softens up a little and takes on some colour. Add the garlic and ginger and cook a further couple of minutes.
NB: if you wish, you can go for a bit of charring on the onions – this adds a great flavour.
(9) Add the chicken back to the pan and, with the heat on medium-high, spoon over the Chinese wine. Place the lid on just for about minute before removing it and letting it cook out for a further half a minute or so.
(10) Scatter over any chives, springs onions and chilli, if using, and serve.
