This super easy Salt and Pepper Chicken stirfry is the PERFECT fakeaway. A great weekend treat to enjoy with an ice-cold beer.
Perfect Fakeaway Dinner
This Salt and Pepper chicken stirfry is seriously delish. It’s the perfect marriage of salty, slightly spicy chicken with a satisfyingly crispy skin. Team it with some sweet crunchy stir-fried peppers and fluffy rice and you have the perfect dinner to enjoy in front of the TV with an ice-cold beer. I love treating myself to an order of Salt & Pepper Chicken from my local takeaway, but this home-cooked version is a great (healthier and cheaper) alternative.
Coat the Chicken in Cornflour
Cornflour (or cornstarch) helps to give your chicken pieces a nice crispy coating and keep the inside lovely and juicy. For this recipe, you mix the seasonings with the cornflour and dredge the chicken in the mixture so the pieces are all evenly coated.
Chinese Five Spice
Chinese Five Spice is a blend of (you guessed it) five spices used commonly in Chinese cuisine – sweet cinnamon and cloves, fennel seeds, star anise, and tingly Sichuan pepper. It makes a really delicious rub for most meats and is often added to season the breadcrumbs for fried dishes. You could easily make your own Five Spice, but honestly, I usually use a pre-mixed blend from the supermarket.
FAQ
- Can I use chicken breast instead of thigh? Yes! Thighs give for juicer, more flavourful meat but chicken breast works almost as well
- What do I serve with Salt & Pepper Chicken? My go-to is always fluffy white rice, but chunky, salty chips are pretty excellent with this.
- What oil should I use? I go for groundnut or vegetable oil as these have a high smoke point and a ‘clean’ flavour. Avocado or sunflower oil would be a good choice, but I don’t recommend olive oil.
I hope you enjoy this recipe – please leave a comment if you try it!
And if you’re looking for another fakeaway treat then check out my recipe for Pork Meatballs with Soy Glaze or Easy Prawn Jalfrezi.
Salt and Pepper Chicken
Equipment
- Wok or frying pan
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless - or 2 chicken breasts
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp Chinese Five Spice powder
- 4 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil
For the Stir Fry
- 1 white onion cut into bite sized chunks
- 1-2 peppers of any colour, finely sliced
- 1 chilli, sliced - add more if you like it spicy!
- 1 bunch spring onions finely sliced and split into white and green parts
- ½ tsp Chinese Five Spice
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- pinch chilli flakes - optional
Instructions
- Mix the cornflour with the salt, pepper and Five Spice.
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks and coat in the flour mix – the way I find easiest is to put everything in a sealed reusable food bag or tupperware box and shake gently until the chicken pieces are all evenly coated.
- Coat the bottom of a frying pan with a thin layer of groundnut or vegetable oil and put over a high heat.
- Fry the chicken pieces until cooked through – about 2-3 minutes each side. You may need to do this in batches, making sure you don't overcrowd the pan.
- Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- In a wok or clean frying pan, heat a tsp of groundnut oil over a medium heat and add the chopped onion.
- Fry the onion for a few minutes until it starts to soften, then add the pepper, chilli and the white parts of the spring onions.
- Sprinkle over the salt, pepper, Five Spice (and chilli flakes if using) and stir fry everything together for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are just beginning to soften.
- Add the chicken to the vegetables and toss together.
- Sprinkle with the green parts of the spring onions and serve – ideally with your favourite rice.
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