Five-Spice Crispy Chicken
Glossy red in appearance with crispy skin and tender meat. Made by marinating, steaming, then deep-frying, for a savory, flavorful result.
Ingredients
young chicken (head, wing tips, and feet removed)
1 (about 1000 g)
vegetable oil (for frying the chicken)
500 g
salt
3 g
white sugar
15 g
soy sauce
10 g
cooking wine
15 g
five-spice powder
3 g
Sichuan peppercorns
2 g
ginger (for stuffing into the chicken cavity)
15 g
scallions (for stuffing into the chicken cavity)
15 g
sugar syrup (the original text says "apply a caramel-colored glaze")
30 g
MSG
0.5 g
sesame oil
10 g
Instructions
1
Prepare and Season
Remove the chicken's head, wing tips, and feet, then briefly blanch the chicken in boiling water and remove it. Mix the salt, white sugar, soy sauce, cooking wine, five-spice powder, and Sichuan peppercorns in a bowl. Rub the mixture over the inside and outside of the chicken, then stuff the ginger and scallions into its cavity. Place the chicken in a steaming dish and steam until cooked.
2
Apply the Glaze
Remove the steamed chicken and pat it dry. While it is still hot, brush on the caramel-colored syrup, then pick out the scallions, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns. Let the chicken cool.
3
Fry the Chicken
Heat a wok over high heat, add the vegetable oil, and heat it to approximately 180°C. Add the chicken and fry until the skin is crisp and reddish brown, then remove it.
4
Bone, Cut, and Plate
Once the chicken has cooled slightly, remove the large bones and cut it into strips approximately 5 centimeters long and 1.5 centimeters wide. Arrange the strips on a serving plate in the shape of the chicken. Mix the reserved steaming juices with MSG, white sugar, and sesame oil. Serve the sauce in a dipping dish or drizzle it over the chicken.
