Soft-Fried Young Chicken
A classic Zhejiang specialty of bite-sized chicken pieces coated in batter and deep-fried until golden, featuring a soft, fluffy crust and tender meat inside.
Ingredients
boneless tender chicken
250 g
egg (cracked and beaten)
1
flour
40 g
wet starch
15 g
minced scallion white
2.5 g
ginger juice
5 g
Sichuan peppercorn salt
5 g
refined salt
1.5 g
MSG
1.5 g
soy sauce
5 g
Shaoxing wine
5 g
ground white pepper
0.15 g
cooked lard (actual usage 75g)
750 g
Instructions
1
Cut and Marinate
Place the chicken skin-side down and flatten with the back of a knife. Make a few cross cuts (cut depth 2/3 of the meat thickness), then cut into diamond-shaped pieces with 1.3 cm sides. Put into a bowl, add Shaoxing wine, minced scallion white, ginger juice, soy sauce, ground white pepper, refined salt, and MSG, then marinate for a short while.
2
Prepare Batter
Crack the egg and beat it, then add wet starch and flour, stir until evenly combined, and set aside.
3
Initial Fry
Heat a wok over medium heat, coat the pan with oil, then add lard. Heat the lard to 50% heat (approx. 110°C), add the chicken pieces one by one, fry until a crust forms, then remove from the oil. Separate any stuck pieces, and discard any small crumbs.
4
Second Fry
When the oil temperature rises to 70% heat (approx. 154°C), add the chicken back to the wok and fry until golden brown, then remove and plate.
5
Serve
Serve with sweet bean sauce and Sichuan peppercorn salt on the side.
