Taiwan, a small, sweet-potato-shaped island off the east coast of the China mainland, is world-famous for its incredible street food scene. Salt’n’Pepper Chicken (pronounced Yán Sū Jī in Mandarin) is one of Taiwanese people’s favorite night market munchies, normally eaten out of a basket or paper bag. It’s sort of like popcorn chicken, made from bite-size tender breast or thigh cuts with a crunchy coating seasoned with zesty and refreshing ginger and five-spice. It’s like a party on your palate! Unfortunately, constantly eating deep-fried street snacks isn’t so good for the waistline. Plus, it always makes a mess in the kitchen and produces a ton of leftover oil. So I’ve come up with a recipe that avoids the deep-frying method and drastically reduces the calorie count. The look of the final product might not be as perfect as the deep-fried version, but the flavor is out of this world! You’ll get the same crispy result using a large skillet at high temperature and a fraction of the oil, allowing you to indulge in your night market cravings guilt-free.
Cooking notes
1. The marinade
The marinade is the highlight of the recipe. It uses brown sugar, fresh ginger and garlic to impart a rich taste to the chicken. Ideally, marinating in the fridge overnight will help the chicken develop a deeper flavor. But if you’re short on time, you can let the chicken marinate at room temperature for half an hour, and the result will be great, as well.
3. The batter
The simple mix of egg and cornstarch does its magic. Not only does it create crispy chicken, but the cooked coating also holds well and stays crispy even after you chill the chicken for a while. When you mix the batter for the shallow fry, keep in mind that the batter should look a bit dry and not runny. On the other hand, if you do prefer to deep fry the chicken, the batter works just as great.
4. How to shallow fry
I’ve tried shallow frying with a nonstick pan and a carbon steel pan. They both work very well. Different from deep-frying, shallow frying requires you to flip the chicken to sear both sides properly and develop the crispy coating. Also, keep in mind that cooking time varies quite a bit depending on the pan and your stove. If you’re using a light nonstick pan and an electric stove, it will take longer to brown and cook the chicken through. When using a heavy-duty pan (such as a cast iron or carbon steel pan) with a powerful gas stove, the cooking time might be cut in half. Always keep an eye on the bottom of the chicken, and cook it according to your own observations.
5. Spice mix
I made more spice mix than you might use in the recipe, so you can serve some on the side to adjust the flavor based on personal preference.
6. No basil? no problem
The authentic Taiwanese-style salt and pepper chicken uses fried crispy basil leaves to add another flavor dimension to the dish. But it does require some extra effort to cook. I’ve found that dried nori sheets have a similar texture and an equally interesting taste. You can simply shred some nori and add it to the chicken and skip frying the basil. You can use the large nori sheets that are made for sushi rolls, or the small snack size ones that are sold in grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s.
How to cook salt and pepper chicken video
I recorded a short video to show you how easy it is to cook this dish. Find more videos to learn Chinese cooking on my YouTube channel!
More delicious appetizer recipes
Crispy Baked Coconut Shrimp Beef Satay Baked Crispy Tofu Nuggets Thai Fish Cakes (Tod Mun Pla) Cheesy Shrimp Baked Spring Rolls
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
