Fried Sweet Chilli Chicken Recipe

 

It's the Year of the Horse! Chinese New Year is a festival of lights, dance, dragons and firecrackers, a celebration of life, luck and the future, and most of all, food. Working at the School of Wok has introduced me to 'proper' Chinese food, and I have been watching lots of cooking programmes, and researching lots of recipes online in my search for more delicious recipes. On the Food Network, the lovely Taiwanese/Chinese Ching He Huang presents a programme introducing students to Easy Chinese food, and here is my adaptation of one of the recipes. A lightly battered deep fried chicken, coated in a spicy sweet chilli sauce. You'll never have a takeaway again!

 

Fried Sweet Chilli Chicken

 

Ingredients:

 

8-10 mini chicken fillets
2 egg whites
5-6 tbsp cornflour
vegetable/sunflower oil, for deep frying
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch ginger, sliced into matchsticks
2-3 chillies, chopped
1 tbsp groundnut/coconut oil
6 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
juice 1/2 lime
fresh coriander, chopped

 

Method:

 

Prepare the chicken by cutting into chunks.

Prepare the batter by mixing the egg whites with the cornflour until thick and gloopy, and season with salt and pepper.

Coat the chicken in the batter ('velveting') and deep fry in a wok half filled with vegetable oil until golden brown and crispy (about 6-8 mins). Turn occasionally to stop them sticking together and to brown all over. Check they are thoroughly cooked, then remove the chicken, and set aside. Retain the oil in a heatproof bowl.

 

Meanwhile chop the chilli, garlic and ginger.

Heat a little groundnut or coconut oil in the wok and add the garlic, chilli and ginger, and fry for 2 minutes. Add sweet chilli sauce, light soy sauce and a squeeze of lime juice. Stir until mixed well.

 

Add in the chopped fresh coriander, then add the chicken back in and coat in the sauce.

 

Serve with noodles or rice.