You can make this Crispy Chinese Chicken in 20 minutes for your next dinner meal. The savory and slightly spicy sauce is inspired by the famous Chinese takeout General Tso Chicken sauce that you can’t get enough of!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You can make this chicken all in one pan! It is recommended to keep the juices of the chicken fat and fry your chilis and aromatics in the same pan for maximum flavor. Then, a traditional soy sauce slurry is made to add on top of your chicken, rice and veggies! When you add the sauce to the top, the chicken skin remains crispy for that great soft and crunchy texture.
Ingredients
Here’s a look at what you need to make this Crispy Chinese Chicken. The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.
- Chicken thighs with skin on – make sure they are boneless so the chicken cooks faster. If you want crispy chicken you need to keep the skin on. If you want to remove some fat, you can cut it off as well!
- Aromatics – add garlic cloves, ginger, green onions and fry in the chicken fat for fragrant flavor. This is what gives it’s Chinese flavor!
- Dried chili peppers (optional) – this adds a hint of smokiness and spice. If you don’t have it, you can add dried chili flakes or skip it!
- shaoxing cooking wine (optional but highly recommended) – it helps break down the chicken fat in the pan and adds lots of flavor to the sauce (removes gaminess from the chicken). You can find this at asian grocery stores or sub with dry sherry or sake.
- soy sauce – is the base of the sauce. I like to use low sodium so the dish doesn’t taste too salty.
- rice vinegar – the acidity helps balance the sweetness of the oyster sauce and gives the sauce a nice tang.
- oyster sauce – is also the base of the sauce. Adding this will give it a savory and umami flavor.
- corn starch slurry – mixture of water and cornstarch to make the shiny and gravy-like sauce!
Substitutions and Variations
- Make it vegetarian with firm tofu! Make sure the water from the tofu is squeezed out. Fry the tofu until it gets crispy. If you love tofu, you can also try my Korean Braised Tofu.
- Add veggies like mushrooms or zucchini when cooking the sauce to make it a delicious stir fry!
- You can also use shrimp if you want to swap out the chicken.
How to Make Crispy Chinese Chicken
Step 1: Prepare your aromatics. Chop garlic cloves, and green onions. Then, slice your ginger.
Step 2: Dry chicken thighs with a paper towel to ensure it is dry. Add some salt and white pepper on both sides. Heat pan on medium heat. When it is hot, add some neutral oil. Then, add the chicken (skin side down) on the pan gently. Fry for 5 minutes on each side until both sides are golden.
Step 3: Once the chicken is done set it aside, so the chicken skin remains crispy. You may cut it up in smaller pieces if you like.
Step 4: Using the same pan on medium fry the dried chili peppers. Fry for one minute by mixing it around and ensure the peppers get a dark red.
Step 5: Then, add garlic, ginger, and green onions. Fry for one minute. Add some shaoxing cooking wine to the pan to de-glaze the chicken.
Step 6: Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, sugar, water and corn starch.
Step 7: Turn heat to low medium. Stir the slurry sauce as the cornstarch is all at the bottom. Then, add the slurry sauce to the pan and continually to mix together so the sauce is not clumpy.
Step 8: To serve, pour the sauce on top of the chicken and enjoy while crispy. Eat with some steamed vegetables and white rice to soak up the sauce.
Expert Tips
- Pour the sauce at the end to ensure the chicken skin stays crispy!
- When making the cornstarch slurry, you need to mix it prior to adding in the pan. Then, mix it quickly in the pan to avoid clumps in your sauce.
- To ensure your chicken skin gets crispy and doesn’t burn, make sure the heat is at medium. If the heat is too high, the skin will burn.
Recipe FAQs
You should serve this with white rice and steamed vegetables like broccoli or bok choy. If you’re looking for more side dishes, you can this with Crispy Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls or Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry.
Yes, you can use mushrooms or tofu instead of chicken. Make sure that your tofu or mushrooms are extra dry so it can crisp up in the pan. The sauce will go great with it as well!
No you don’t. You can use chicken breast but keep in mind that the skin helps make the skin crispy and delicious! Without it, you won’t get that crunchy texture.
Check Out More Chinese Chicken Recipes
- Easy One Pot Chinese Chicken and Rice – the chicken and rice are cooked at the same time, and the rice soaks up the delicious ginger and garlic juices from the chicken.
- One Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice – juicy chicken thighs are cooked along with ginger and garlic-infused rice all in one pot and served with ginger scallion sauce & sweet chili sauce.
- Salted Egg Fried Chicken Wings – fried chicken coated in a buttery and salted egg sauce creates an umami and savory wing!
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Crispy Chinese Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thigh with skin on boneless
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 inch ginger skin peeled and sliced
- 2 green onions chopped 3 inch lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing cooking wine optional
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Garnish
- green onions thinly sliced
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Chop garlic cloves and green onions. Then, slice some ginger.
- Dry chicken thighs with a paper towel to ensure it is dry. Add some salt and white pepper on both sides.
- Heat pan on medium heat. When it is hot, add some neutral oil. Then, add the chicken (skin side down) on the pan gently. Fry for 5 minutes on each side until both sides are golden.
- Once the chicken is done set it aside, so the chicken skin remains crispy. You may cut it up in smaller pieces if you like.
- Using the same pan on medium fry the dried chili peppers. Fry for one minute and ensure the peppers get a dark red.
- Then, add garlic, ginger, and green onions. Fry for one minute.
- (optional) Add some shaoxing cooking wine to the pan.
- Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, sugar, water and corn starch.
- Turn heat to low medium. Stir the slurry sauce as the cornstarch is all at the bottom. Then, add the slurry sauce to the pan and continually to mix together so the sauce is not clumpy.
- To serve, pour the sauce on top of the chicken and enjoy while crispy. Eat with some steamed vegetables and white rice to soak up the sauce.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Pour the sauce at the end to ensure the chicken skin stays crispy!
- When making the cornstarch slurry, you need to mix it prior to adding in the pan. Then, mix it quickly in the pan to avoid clumps in your sauce.
- To ensure your chicken skin gets crispy and doesn’t burn, make sure the heat is at medium. If the heat is too high, the skin will burn.
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