Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken Thighs

  • 8 chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 50g cornstarch
  • 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
  • Veg oil for frying
  • 1 diced onion
  • 5 sliced spring onions
  • 1 sliced red chilli
  • 1 tbsp grated ginger
  • 2 crushed garlic cloves
  • ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, ground
  • 3 tbsp rice wine
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • Pinch of sea salt flakes
  • Toss the chicken pieces in the cornflour and five-spice powder with a pinch of sea salt, then fry in 2cm of sizzling oil for 10 mins or until crunchy and golden. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.
  • Pour most of the oil into a bowl, leaving about 1 tbsp in the pan. Toss in the spring onion, onion and chilli and stir-fry for 3 mins, then mix in the garlic and ginger. Fry for a minute, return the chicken to the pan with 1 tsp of five-spice powder, the peppercorns, a pinch of sea salt, the rice wine and soy sauce. Mix to coat, then serve with rice and steamed greens.
20 mins
4 serving