Chinese · openly licensed
Cantonese Crispy Fried Chicken
A reusable open-source recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.
See sourceSee sourceLevel 4
Gather first
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 3 Tbsp Sichuan peppercorns (花椒)
- 1 Tbsp ajinomoto seasoning (味の素)
- 1 whole chicken (small)
- 2 Tbsp Chinese five-spice powder (五香粉)
- 3 slices of ginger, crushed
- 2 scallions
- Water to poach chicken in
- 3 Tbsp vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 cups oil (or enough for deep fryer)
- Prawn crackers/shrimp chips (not the ready made ones)
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Make it
Method
- Put salt and peppercorns in a small pan. Heat on medium to low heat until it barely smokes.
- Remove from heat.
- Grind well in mortar and pestle, or with a rolling pin.
- Add ajinomoto and mix well.
- These steps can be done in advance, and the chicken can be kept in the refrigerator.
- Clean and rinse off chicken, discarding the giblets.
- Heat enough water to cover the chicken in a pot until boiling.
- Put five-spice powder, ginger, and scallions in a cloth and tie it. Add to water, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add chicken, reduce heat, and gently poach for 20 minutes.
- When chicken is done, remove from heat, then pat dry with paper towels and air dry for a little bit.
- Put vinegar and sugar in saucepan, and heat until dissolved to make a syrup.
- Coat the entire chicken on the inside and outside with the syrup.
- Let chicken dry in a breeze until very dry.
- Fill deep fryer with oil, and heat oil to 350°F (175°C).
- Deep fry chicken about 10 minutes per side until brown and done.
- Remove from oil, and chop with a meat cleaver into 1 x 2-inch pieces.
- When chicken is done, fry the shrimp chips in deep fryer.
- Sprinkle shrimp chips with a little salt.
- Serve chicken adorned with shrimp chips, with pepper salt in a small dish on the side.