Crispy fried chicken with chili sauce

I was doing research on Taiwanese dishes the other day when I came across this recipe of crispy chicken with chili sauce. Although more Chinese than Taiwanese, I felt like this dish was similar to something I had before so I decided to give it a try. I was in for a surprise because this chicken is much better than I had ever hoped for!

Crispy fried chicken with chili sauce

Recipe from eggwansfoododyssey.com

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

Marinade:

2 chicken legs (drumstick and thigh), deboned, skinless

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 spring onion, finely chopped

2 thin slices ginger, minced

1/2 tsp sugar

Sauce:

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp Sichuan pepper, ground

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp water

2 spring onions, finely chopped

1 fresh chili, seeds removed, finely chopped

1 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 fresh cilantro, leaves and stems finely chopped

2 tbsp sweet potato starch, potato starch, or cornstarch 

2 tbsp ap flour

oil for deep frying

Directions

1. Marinade the chicken by combining the soy sauce - 1/2 tsp sugar. Add the deboned chicken legs and toss to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile make the chili sauce by combining all the ingredients from the 2 tbsp soy sauce to the cilantro. Let stand for 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together.
3. Preheat your fryer or frying oil to 325 degrees F. You can either pour about 2-3 cups of the frying oil into a deep pot or into a wok. 
4. Combine the sweet potato starch, potato starch or cornstarch with the ap flour. Coat the chicken in the flour mix, shaking off any excess. Carefully add the chicken to the heated oil and fry until the chicken is golden brown and cooked throughout, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oil and let rest on a paper towel for 1 minute. 
5. To serve, cut the chicken into strips and pour the dressing on top.

Nutritional Analysis:

per serving: 581.5 calories, 26g fat (5.7g saturated, 8g polyunsaturated, 9.9g monounsaturated), 49.9g carbohydrates, 3.4g fiber, 35g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

The great thing about this dish is that even though you have to marinade the chicken, it's only for 30 minutes, meaning this can all be made in 45 minutes!

I purchased chicken thighs, skinless, and deboned them myself. Since it was only the chicken thigh, I bought 4 pieces for 2 peoples. 

While your chicken is marinading, I cooked my rice, made the chili sauce, and prepped some bok choy and tofu for side dishes.

I decided to fry my chicken in a pot since I don't have a wok or a fryer. If you don't have a thermometer to check the temperature, sprinkle some flour into the oil. If it starts to sizzle, the oil should be ready. Another way to check is to stick a wooden chopstick into the oil and if it sizzles, it's ready. 

Make sure to fry in batches. Once you add the chicken to the oil, the temperature will decrease dramatically, especially if you add too many pieces at once. It's best to add just a few at a time to get even cooking.

The cornstarch really helps achieve a golden crispy exterior on the chicken.

I absolutely loved this dish! The sauce was a little tangy, a little spicy, making it a perfect complement for this well seasoned, crispy chicken. The great thing about using dark meat is how just juicy it is. One bite and my eyes popped out of my head at just how good this chicken was. Logging this recipe into my recipe book right now!