Crispy Chicken

Full written recipe for Chicken Crispy

Prep time: 20-25 minutes (excluding soaking time of chillies)

Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients:

Chicken marination

• CHICKEN | चिकन 350 GRAMS (BREAST)
• SALT | नमक TO TASTE
• WHITE PEPPER POWDER | सफेद मिर्च का पाउडर A PINCH
• GINGER GARLIC PASTE | अदरक लेहसुन की पेस्ट 1 TSP
• VINEGAR | सिरका 1 TSP
• LIGHT SOY SAUCE | लाइट सोया सॉस 1 TSP

Batter & frying

• CORN FLOUR | कॉर्न फ्लोर 6 TBSP
• REFINED FLOUR | मैदा 3 TBSP
• SALT | नमक A PINCH
• WHITE PEPPER POWDER | सफेद मिर्च का पाउडर PINCH
• BAKING POWDER | बेकिंग पाउडर 1 TSP
• EGG | अंडा 1 NO. (WHITE)
• WATER | पानी AS REQUIRED

For cooked red chilli paste

• KASHMIRI RED CHILLI PASTE | कश्मीरी लाल मिर्च की पेस्ट OF 20-25 RED CHILLIES
• OIL | तेल 4-5 TBSP
• VINEGAR | सिरका 1/2 TSP

Sauce

• OIL | तेल 1 TBSP
• GARLIC | लेहसुन 2 TBSP (CHOPPED)
• GINGER | अदरक 1 TBSP (CHOPPED)
• GREEN CHILLI | हरी मिर्च 2 NOS. (SLICED)
• CAPSICUM | शिमला मिर्च 1 MEDIUM SIZE. (JULIENNE)
• SPRING ONION BULBS | स्प्रिंग ऑनियन बल्ब्स A HANDFUL
• RED CHILLI PASTE | लाल मिर्च की पेस्ट 1 TBSP (COOKED)
• KETCHUP | केचअप 3 TBSP
• RED CHILLI SAUCE | रेड चिली सॉस 1 TBSP
• LIGHT SOY SAUCE | लाइट सोया सॉस 1 TSP
• VINEGAR | सिरका 1/2 TSP
• SALT | नमक A PINCH
• WHITE PEPPER POWDER | सफेद मिर्च का पाउडर A PINCH
• HOT WATER | गरम पानी AS REQUIRED
• CORN FLOUR | कॉर्न फ्लोर 1 TBSP
• WATER | पानी 2 TBSP
• SPRING ONION GREEN | हरे प्याज़ के पत्ते A HANDFUL (CHOPPED)

Method:

1. To make crispy chicken you will need to cut the chicken correctly, slice the chicken breast in half so that you get 2 evenly thin pieces, then cut the chicken into thin strips against the grain, cut the remaining chicken similarly & transfer it into a bowl.
2. Further add salt, white pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, vinegar & light soy sauce, mix well & marinate the chicken.
3. To make the batter add corn flour, refined flour, salt, white pepper & baking powder into a bowl & mix all the dry ingredients until they get combined.
4. Further add egg white & water, whisk it continuously to make a semi thin smoothly flowing slurry, your batter is ready.
5. Add the marinated chicken into the batter & mix well to coat all the chicken pieces with the batter, then carefully drop the chicken pieces into moderately hot (175 C) oil & fry them until slightly light golden brown, this will only take 2-3 minutes.
6. Once fried transfer the chicken into a sieve, make sure you fry the chicken in batches, don’t over-crowd the pan.
7. Your first fried chicken is ready, we will flash fry it & then add it into the sauce for extra crispiness.
8. Deseed & soak the kashmiri red chillies in hot water for 1-2 hours then add them into a mixer grinder jar with a splash of water & grind them into a fine paste, your red chilli paste is ready.
9. Set a pan over high flame & once it gets hot, add the oil & let the oil heat up as well.
10. Further add the red chilli paste, stir well & cook over medium high flame until the paste turns crumbly/coarse in texture & all the oil is released, this process will take 4-5 minutes.
11. Once cooked, add vinegar & stir well, your cooked chilli paste is ready, transfer it into a bowl & cool it down, you can also store it in an airtight container, if you only want to make red chilli paste for one portion then follow the same process using 3-5 kashmiri red chillies. You can also skip this process & directly replace the cooked chilli paste with schezwan sauce further in the recipe.
12. Before making the sauce, reheat the frying oil until it gets slightly more hot than moderately hot which is around 185 C
13. To make the sauce set a wok over high heat, once the wok gets hot, add the oil & let it heat up as well.
14. Further add garlic, ginger, green chillies & saute them over high flame for 30 seconds.
15. Then add capsicum, spring onion bulbs, cooked red chilli paste, ketchup, red chilli sauce, light soy sauce & vinegar, stir well & then add salt, white pepper powder & hot water, stir well again & bring the sauce to a simmer.
16. To thicken the sauce, add corn flour & water in a separate bowl, whisk well to make a slurry, then add the slurry into the sauce while stirring it continuously, lower the flame once the sauce thickens, your sauce is ready.
17. Add the first fried chicken into the oil carefully & flash fry it for a minute to minute & half until it turns crisp & golden brown.
18. Once fried remove the chicken from the oil using a large spider & let the excess oil drip off, then add the chicken into the wok followed by spring onion greens, stir well & coat the chicken with the sauce, make sure you don’t cook it a lot at this stage.
19. Your restaurant style crispy chicken is ready.