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Salt and chilli chicken served on a black plate.
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5 from 2 votes

Salt and Chilli Chicken

Perfect salt and chilli chicken that's light and crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and coated in a super tasty salt and pepper spice mix.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 4
Calories: 532kcal
Author: Helen

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 egg white
  • ½ tbsp sesame oil
  • ½ tbsp light soy sauce (note 1)
  • 500g chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces (note 2)
  • 1.5 tsp chinese five spice
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp black pepper
  • 80 g cornflour/cornstarch
  • 4-5 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion choppde
  • 1 green pepper diced (note 3)
  • 4 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 red chilli finely chopped
  • 1 green chilli finely chopped
  • 3 spring onions / scallions thinly sliced
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Mix the egg white, sesame oil, and soy sauce in a medium to large bowl and add the chicken.
  • Make the spice mix by combining the Chinese five spice, salt and black pepper in a small bowl.
  • Pour the cornflour/cornstarch into a large bowl and dredge the chicken pieces (no more than 2-3 at a time) so that they have a generous coating of cornflour. Gently shake off the excess and put onto a plate. 
  • Place a wok or large frying pan on a high heat and add around three-quarters of the oil. Add the chicken pieces when the oil is hot and fry for a few minutes turning regularly, until they are golden brown on all sides. Note that you may have to do this in two batches to avoid crowding the pan. (note 4 & 5) 
  • Place the cooked chicken pieces onto a plate or board lined with kitchen paper when done.
  • Wipe the wok (note 6) or use a clean wok or frying pan.
  • Add the remaining oil and fry the onion for a couple of minutes and then add the green pepper and chillies.
  • Turn the heat down to medium when the green pepper and onion start to soften, add the garlic and fry for one more minute.
  • Add the chicken, spice mix and spring onions/scallions, and toss everything in the pan together until the spice mix is evenly distributed.
  • Serve immediately with your choice of sides.

Notes

  1. Use light instead of dark soy sauce, which has a richer and sweeter flavour.
  2. I cut my chicken into 2 cm/inch pieces.
  3. Cut into 1cm / ⅓ inch pieces
  4. It's likely you will need to add more oil to the pan if you need to fry the chicken in more than one batch.
  5. Check the chicken is cooked by cutting one of the larger pieces in half to make sure it is white and opaque in the middle. 
  6. Quickly and safely clean the wok by taking it off the heat and using tongs or chopsticks to wipe away the excess oil and cornflour/cornstarch with kitchen paper. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 532kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 281mg | Potassium: 471mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 414IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg