Super chilli chicken

This super chilli chicken from Adam Liaw features a secret technique using a common household ingredient, bicarbonate soda. Adding a small quantity of bicarb soda to the frying batter increases it’s alkalinity, enhancing the chicken's ability to retain juiciness and increase tenderness. The result? The ultimate, crispy, tender chicken, tossed in a delectable spicy and sweet sauce.

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 3 spring onions, thinly julienned
• 800 g chicken thigh fillets, sliced into 1 cm wide strips across the grain
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 3 tbsp potato starch
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1-2 litres vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

For the sauce

• 2 tbsp Sriracha
• 1 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp Sichuan-style chilli crisp (or lao gan ma)

Soaking time: 10 minutes

Instructions

1. To prepare the spring onion curls, place the julienned spring onions into an ice-bath and set aside while you work on the other elements.

2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, wine, egg, salt, flour, potato starch and bicarb soda and mix well. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before cooking.

3. Heat enough oil to deep-fry in a large, heavy-based saucepan or wok to 180°C. When ready to cook, deep-fry the chicken in batches for 5 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer the cooked chicken to a paper towel-lined baking tray.

4. To make the sauce, combine the ingredients in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. Stir until thickened and bubbling, then add the fried chicken to the pan and toss well to coat.

5. Drain the spring onion curls. Transfer the chicken to a serving plate and serve with the spring onion curls and lemon wedges to squeeze over.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

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Watch the full episode here

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Watch the full episode here

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