Chinese Fried Chicken
Chinese Fried Chicken
When I was growing up in Trinidad a visit to a Chinese restaurant was reserved for special and celebratory occasions. However, overtime a host of affordable restaurants popped up creating greater accessibility to a variety of Chinese dishes . The iconic dish for me will always be Chinese fried chicken , which I realise maybe a hybrid Trini-Chinese fusion dish because I haven't been able to find it readily accessible outside of Trinidad.
Trinidad's Chinese fried chicken is basically fried chicken that has been seasoned with dark soy sauce, ginger and garlic. I can still remember trying to explain to a Kingston (Jamaica) Chinese restaurant owner what I was looking for and being met with raised eyebrows , skepticism and utter confusion. I guess in that moment it clicked that if I wanted to have what I knew as Chinese fried chicken I would have to make it on my own. I experimented with a few variations of seasoning for the chicken .The sauce that accompanies the chicken is really a contribution of my husband who grew up making it with his mom. To me the sauce was always "restaurant sauce" lol.
Feel free to substitute and tweak the recipe based on your preferences, traditionally only dark soy is used but I used a combination of dark and light sauce , as well as fresh ginger and garlic versus powdered. I will suggest one critical component this dish is seasoning the chicken in advance and allowing the marinade to work its magic for a few hours or overnight. The marinade measurements were for 4 bone in chicken thighs and 10 wings which can easily translate into enough for a small 3-4 lb chicken. This chicken is deep fried so a lot of oil will be needed to ensure the chicken is cooked properly.
Ingredients :
Chicken Marinade :
1/8 cup dark soy sauce
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 tbsp five spice powder
1/2 teaspoon of anise powder
1/2 inch ginger finely minced
3 cloves of garlic finely minced
1 stalk of green onion / chive / scallion finely minced
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Sauce :
1/3 cup light soy
1/4 cup dark soy
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger finely minced
Corn starch slurry (Mix 1/2 Tbsp corn starch with 1/4 cup room temperature water)
Chicken Preparation:
Prepare chicken by rinsing in 1/8 cup of white vinegar and trimming the excess fat off the chicken. (This step is optional)
Pat the chicken pieces dry using a paper towel (discard the paper towel after finishing ) and season the chicken with salt and black pepper.
In a large bowl mix together all of marinade ingredients and place chicken in the marinade ensuring that the chicken is evenly coated in the mixture. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight or for a few hours.
In a wok or deep fry pan preheat on medium enough oil that will cover the chicken. (I used about 3 cups of oil in my medium sized wok ).
When the oil is preheated using tongs place chicken pieces in the oil carefully. After 5 minutes lower the heat and allow the chicken brown and cook. Patting the chicken dry will remove the extra moisture and reduce the chances of hot oil splatters. Please remember the soy sauce marinade will make the chicken look darker when fried while the internal may not be fully cooked. The chicken wings took 20 minutes and my chicken thighs 40-45 minutes because they were large. You can use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature is 165F or use the tip of a knife to make an incision close to the bone in pieces to get a visual of the internal cook level.
When the chicken pieces are fully cooked, remove from the oil and place on paper towels or wire rack to drain off excess oil and enjoy .
Sauce Preparation:
Place all the ingredients except the corn starch slurry into a sauce pan on medium heat.
When the mixture comes to boil, lower heat to simmer and add corn starch slurry .
Allow the mixture to thicken , approximately 10 minutes .
Serving Suggestions:
Fried rice and steamed veggies
Vegetable Lo Mein
Chicken with Chinese pickles and lettuce to make wraps