Salt and Pepper Chicken

Find more recipes at fussfreeflavours.com

5 from 5 votes

This salt and pepper chicken recipe is easy to make and better than takeaway, so impress your friends and family with a mouthwatering Chinese treat.

Servings:

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Ingredients

1 small onion
2 spring onions - scallions
1 clove garlic
1 red chilli
2 chicken thighs - 200–250 g
30 g cornflour - a scant ¼ cup corn starch
½ tbsp sea salt
½ tbsp Chinese five spice mix
½ tbsp black pepper - medium ground
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

Peel, top and tail the onion and then cut into quarter inch chunks.
1 small onion
Top and tail the spring onions, and peel off any tough, or dried off outer layers. Cut one lengthwise into strips and the other crosswise into slices
2 spring onions
Peel and finely chop the garlic.
1 clove garlic
Remove seeds and membrane from the chilli and finely chop.
1 red chilli
Next, prepare the chicken. Trim and discard any fatty bits and then cut into bite-sized chunks. I nearly always use a sharp pair of kitchen scissors rather than a knife. Freeze offcuts, skin and bone and save for making stock.
2 chicken thighs
Mix the cornflour (corn starch) and the five spice, salt and pepper together thoroughly in a container big enough to take the chicken. If you use a sealable plastic tub, you can shake to mix and then shake again to coat.
30 g cornflour, ½ tbsp sea salt, ½ tbsp Chinese five spice mix, ½ tbsp black pepper
Add the chicken to the flour mixture and coat well.
Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan over a medium-high heat. When it is very hot, add one piece of the chicken to test. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough and you can add the rest of the meat. Cook for about 8 minutes, turning only occasionally. Don't stir.
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Once cooked, remove the chicken pieces from the pan onto a double layer of kitchen paper on a plate or bowl to soak up some of the oil.
Drain most of the oil from the pan before adding the onions. Fry until golden and starting to crisp. Loosen any bits of coating left in the pan, as you want to include these in the dish.
Add the spring onion, chilli and garlic and cook for another minute.
Finally, add the chicken pieces and cook for another couple of minutes to ensure they are piping hot. Then serve and enjoy.

Notes

Nutritional Information

Nutrition calculated with one tablespoon of oil
This recipe is 10 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.