Crispy Salt and Pepper Chicken with Chile and Scallion

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Takeaway-style salt and pepper chicken made properly at home: bite-size thigh pieces marinated in soy and five-spice, dredged in cornstarch, then double-fried until the crust shatters. Garlic, red chile and scallion go into the hot oil for a few seconds at the end, so everything tastes fried, not raw. Twelve ingredients, one pot of oil, done in half an hour.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dry sherry or Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp ground white pepper (divided)
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups neutral oil, such as vegetable or peanut, for deep-frying

• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 red Fresno or jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced
• 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch pieces and toss in a bowl with the soy sauce, sherry, 1/2 teaspoon of the white pepper and the five-spice powder. Let sit 15 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, stir the kosher salt with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon white pepper in a small bowl and set aside; line a baking sheet with a wire rack.
2. Whisk the cornstarch and flour together in a wide bowl. Lift the chicken from the marinade a few pieces at a time, letting excess liquid drip off, and toss in the starch until every piece is chalky-dry with no wet patches. Set the coated pieces on a plate in a single layer.
3. Pour the oil into a heavy pot or wok so it comes no more than one-third of the way up the sides, and heat over medium-high to 325°F (163°C) on a clip-on thermometer. SAFETY: keep the pot on a back burner with the handle turned in, never leave hot oil unattended, pat everything dry before it goes in (water makes oil erupt), and keep a metal lid and box of baking soda within reach — never water on an oil fire.
4. Fry the chicken in 3 batches, adding pieces one at a time so they don't clump. Cook 4 to 5 minutes per batch, turning once, until pale golden and cooked through (165°F / 74°C internal). Lift out with a spider or slotted spoon onto the rack. Let the oil return to 325°F between batches.
5. Raise the heat and bring the oil to 375°F (190°C). Add the garlic, chiles and scallions all at once and fry just 15 to 20 seconds, until the garlic is barely golden and the scallions sizzle — they burn fast. Scoop them straight out into a large mixing bowl.
6. Return the chicken to the 375°F oil in 3 batches and fry 60 to 90 seconds each, until deep golden and crisp. Drain briefly on the rack, then tip into the bowl with the aromatics.
7. Sprinkle the salt and white pepper mixture over the hot chicken, toss for 15 seconds so it clings, and serve immediately with steamed rice or as it is.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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