Your Chinese New Year menu needs this crispy chicken

This dish is truly a taste sensation, from the crispy crust wrapped around the juicy strips of chicken to the speckled heat of black pepper and salty, five spice sauce.

Shredded Crispy Chicken with Black Pepper and Salt

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 10 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients
½ tbsp salt
½ tbsp Chinese five spice
½ tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp groundnut oil, plus extra for deep-frying
2 chicken breast fillets, cut into thin strips
50g cornflour
1 egg
1 small onion, cut into strips
½ green pepper, de-seeded and cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp water
1 tsp sesame oil

Method
Mix the salt, five spice powder and black pepper together in a small bowl and set aside.

In a wok or deep saucepan, heat enough oil to deep-fry the chicken to 180°C/gas mark 4. Coat each piece of chicken with the cornflour in a bowl and shake off the excess. In another bowl, beat the egg. Dip the floured chicken pieces into the egg and return to the cornflour and coat again.

Gently lower the chicken into the oil and fry for around 3 minutes, turning once or twice so that each piece browns and cooks evenly. Remove to a wire rack or a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.

Heat the 1 tbsp of oil in a wok or frying pan until the oil just begins to smoke. Add the onion and pepper and stir-fry for 30 seconds on a high heat. Now add the garlic and mix thoroughly.

Add the fried chicken and evenly sprinkle in the five-spice mixture, quickly tossing the ingredients together. Add the water and quickly toss again, coating each piece. Turn off the heat, add the sesame oil and serve immediately.

Extracted from Chinese Takeaway Cookbook by Kwoklyn Wan (Quadrille, approx €17). Photography © Sam Folan.