This week’s recipe is for Salt and Chilli Chicken. You could also make a beautiful version of this with king prawns.
This is the second in a short series of recipes which use a few fridge and cupboard staples to create delicious dishes. The idea here is to show you that with a reasonably well-stocked spice cupboard, some fresh herbs, and a few kitchen staples, you can cook a surprisingly diverse range of very tasty meals. The sort of dishes that are perfect for one of those ‘what have I got in the fridge’ days.
My kitchen staples usually include king prawns in my freezer and chicken in the fridge and I always have tomatoes, garlic, onions, ginger, chillies, spices, and fresh herbs to hand. With these core ingredients, I can make some great Indian, Asian, and Italian dishes. Last week I shared my recipe for a gorgeous Goan King Prawn Curry. This week’s recipe is for Salt and Chilli Chicken. You could also make a beautiful version of this with king prawns. Just swap the chicken for raw king prawns and cook as per the method below. If you are using frozen prawns, make sure to thoroughly defrost them before cooking.
I like to serve this dish without a sauce, just with some plain boiled rice and a side dish of bok choy stir fried in sesame oil with garlic and soy sauce. If you do want to serve the chicken with the optional chilli and tomato sauce I have included here, serve it as a dipping sauce on the side rather than pouring it all over the fried chicken. That way your chicken will retain all its lovely crunch and crispiness and the salt and chilli flavours will shine through.
Salt and Chilli Chicken
You could also make a beautiful version of this with king prawns. Just swap the chicken for raw king prawns and cook as per the method below.
Servings
4
Preparation Time
20 mins
Cooking Time
40 mins
Total Time
60 mins
Course
Main
Ingredients
-
400g skinless boneless chicken thighs
-
2-3 cm fresh ginger
-
3 cloves garlic
-
30ml rice wine or sherry
-
150g cornflour
-
2 tbsp sea salt
-
1 tbsp ground white pepper
-
2 tbsp chilli powder
-
1 litre sunflower oil
-
1 onion
-
1 red chilli
-
Optional chilli and tomato sauce:
-
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
-
1 cm fresh ginger root
-
2 cloves garlic
-
1 red chilli
-
2 tomatoes
-
2 tsp honey
-
1 tsp soy sauce
-
juice of half a lemon
Method
-
To begin, trim the chicken thighs to remove any excess fat. To do this, just lay the thighs out on a chopping bord and use the edge of a sharp knife to scrape away any white fat. Discard that and cut the thighs into thin strips, about one centimetre wide is perfect.
-
Peel and grate the ginger root and the garlic. Add those to a bowl big enough to hold all the chicken, add the rice wine and the meat. Stir well to combine and set aside for twenty to thirty minutes to marinate.
-
While the meat is marinating, start on the sauce if you want to have that with the chicken. Peel and grate the ginger and garlic. Wash the red chilli and remove the seeds and pith before chopping it finely. Wash and grate the tomatoes using the coarse surface of a box grater, discarding the skins.
-
Heat the sesame oil in a small saucepan over a high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute or two, stirring regularly until the garlic and ginger lose their raw smell, taking care not to burn the garlic or it will become bitter. Add the chopped red chilli and cook for another minute until it softens slightly. Next add the tomatoes. Turn up the heat to bring the pan to a soft boil, then reduce to a simmer, add the soy sauce and the honey, and cover the pan and cook for fifteen minutes.
-
Finally, add the lemon juice and cook the sauce for another five minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more soy sauce, honey, or lemon juice to suit your own taste. When the sauce is done, remove it from the heat and set aside until you are ready to serve.
-
In a wide bowl, combine the cornflour, sea salt, white pepper, and chilli powder. Stir well to ensure they are thoroughly combined. If you prefer you can use plain flour instead of cornflour, but I find that cornflour gives a gorgeous crispy crunchy texture to the chicken. Potato or tapioca flour also work well if you happen to have either of those in your cupboards.
-
Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan until it reaches 180 Celsius. Working in batches, take some of the marinated chicken and dredge it through the flour and spice mixture. I cook this recipe in three batches, so start with a third of the meat, and toss that in the flour to coat it well. Shake off any excess flour and then carefully lower the chicken into the hot oil. Fry for just one minute before removing it from the oil using a slotted spoon and allow it to drain on some kitchen towel or a wire rack placed over a roasting tray.
-
Repeat with the final two batches of chicken. Take care to ensure that the oil returns to 180 Celsius between batches. If the oil is cooler than that, you will not get a lovely crispy coating on the chicken, and it may not cook through properly. Frying the chicken twice is what gives you a beautifully crispy finish.
-
Once all the chicken has had its first fry, bring the oil back to 180 Celsius. There is no need to fry in batches for the second fry, you can put all the chicken back in the pan at the same time and fry it for one more minute. When it is done, let it drain again on kitchen towel for a few minutes.
-
Peel and slice the onion and thinly slice the red chilli. Stir fry both together in a little sesame oil until the onion is soft and sweet, just a few minutes will do it. Serve the chicken on a big plate with the stir-fried onion and chillies mixed through. Scatter some fresh red chilli and a few leaves of fresh coriander over the top and serve.
recipe by:Colm O'Gorman
You could also make a beautiful version of this with king prawns. Just swap the chicken for raw king prawns and cook as per the method below.
Servings
Preparation Time
Cooking Time
Total Time
Course
Ingredients
400g skinless boneless chicken thighs
2-3 cm fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
30ml rice wine or sherry
150g cornflour
2 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp ground white pepper
2 tbsp chilli powder
1 litre sunflower oil
1 onion
1 red chilli
Optional chilli and tomato sauce:
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 cm fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic
1 red chilli
2 tomatoes
2 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce
juice of half a lemon
Method
To begin, trim the chicken thighs to remove any excess fat. To do this, just lay the thighs out on a chopping bord and use the edge of a sharp knife to scrape away any white fat. Discard that and cut the thighs into thin strips, about one centimetre wide is perfect.
Peel and grate the ginger root and the garlic. Add those to a bowl big enough to hold all the chicken, add the rice wine and the meat. Stir well to combine and set aside for twenty to thirty minutes to marinate.
While the meat is marinating, start on the sauce if you want to have that with the chicken. Peel and grate the ginger and garlic. Wash the red chilli and remove the seeds and pith before chopping it finely. Wash and grate the tomatoes using the coarse surface of a box grater, discarding the skins.
Heat the sesame oil in a small saucepan over a high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute or two, stirring regularly until the garlic and ginger lose their raw smell, taking care not to burn the garlic or it will become bitter. Add the chopped red chilli and cook for another minute until it softens slightly. Next add the tomatoes. Turn up the heat to bring the pan to a soft boil, then reduce to a simmer, add the soy sauce and the honey, and cover the pan and cook for fifteen minutes.
Finally, add the lemon juice and cook the sauce for another five minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more soy sauce, honey, or lemon juice to suit your own taste. When the sauce is done, remove it from the heat and set aside until you are ready to serve.
In a wide bowl, combine the cornflour, sea salt, white pepper, and chilli powder. Stir well to ensure they are thoroughly combined. If you prefer you can use plain flour instead of cornflour, but I find that cornflour gives a gorgeous crispy crunchy texture to the chicken. Potato or tapioca flour also work well if you happen to have either of those in your cupboards.
Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan until it reaches 180 Celsius. Working in batches, take some of the marinated chicken and dredge it through the flour and spice mixture. I cook this recipe in three batches, so start with a third of the meat, and toss that in the flour to coat it well. Shake off any excess flour and then carefully lower the chicken into the hot oil. Fry for just one minute before removing it from the oil using a slotted spoon and allow it to drain on some kitchen towel or a wire rack placed over a roasting tray.
Repeat with the final two batches of chicken. Take care to ensure that the oil returns to 180 Celsius between batches. If the oil is cooler than that, you will not get a lovely crispy coating on the chicken, and it may not cook through properly. Frying the chicken twice is what gives you a beautifully crispy finish.
Once all the chicken has had its first fry, bring the oil back to 180 Celsius. There is no need to fry in batches for the second fry, you can put all the chicken back in the pan at the same time and fry it for one more minute. When it is done, let it drain again on kitchen towel for a few minutes.
Peel and slice the onion and thinly slice the red chilli. Stir fry both together in a little sesame oil until the onion is soft and sweet, just a few minutes will do it. Serve the chicken on a big plate with the stir-fried onion and chillies mixed through. Scatter some fresh red chilli and a few leaves of fresh coriander over the top and serve.
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