Salt and chilli chicken (or salt and pepper chicken) is a Chinese takeaway modern classic that has spawned thousands of fakeaway recipes and even commercial products!
Chicken in Salt and Chilli has become increasingly popular in Chinese takeaways and restaurants across Scotland over the last decade and for good reason. Descended perhaps from Chinese Jill Yuen dishes, the aromatic aroma and feel good factor provided by the classic mix of garlic and chilli combines perfectly with onions, spring onions, green pepper, rice wine and a sweet but hot and spicy salt mix to produce a dish bursting with flavour.
The salt and chilli finish can be applied to various different dishes, from ribs and chicken wings to chips, mini spring rolls and even pizza crunch. My personal favourite and arguably the original and best is chicken breast, deep fried in potato starch until crispy and then flash fried with the vegetables and spicy salt mix . Deliciously addictive, devilishly spicy and definitely one to try.
Ingredients For Salt And Chilli Chicken
To make Chinese takeaway style salt and chilli chicken, chicken breast pieces are seasoned and combined with a mix of egg, potato starch and custard powder and deep fried until golden. Next, the crispy chicken is wok-fried with fresh vegetables and a deliciously tasty Chinese salt and pepper seasoning mix. You can find a recipe for Chinese crispy chicken here.
There are various ways to make the spicy salt mix and most Chinese supermarkets even now stock commercial brands. You can make your own with this recipe.
- Crispy Chicken: You can use this Chinese Crispy Chicken recipe (can be made ahead and used from frozen)
- Fresh Vegetables: Onion, Green Pepper, Carrot
- Other Ingredients: Chinese Salt & Pepper Mix, Vegetable Oil, Chopped Garlic in Oil, Green Chilli, Spring Onion, Crushed Chilli Flakes, Rice Wine
How To Make Salt & Chilli Chicken
First, chicken is battered and deep fried until golden and crispy. Then, it’s wok-fried with fresh vegetables and a generous seasoning of Chinese salt and pepper mix. Finally, salt and chilli chicken is finished with spring onion and a dash of rice wine.
Step 1: Fry The Chicken
Heat oil for deep frying to 180C. Carefully add 1 portion cooked crispy chicken to hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes or until piping hot. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon, drain off any excess and set aside on a plate.
Step 2: Salt And Pepper
Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1/2 onion, sliced, 1/2 green pepper, sliced and 1/2 carrot, sliced and stir-fry for 30-40 seconds. Add crispy chicken pieces to wok, then add 2 teaspoons chopped garlic in oil and 1 green chilli, sliced and mix well. Add 1 teaspoon Chinese salt & pepper mix and stir-fry for 30-40 seconds.
Step 3: Finish and Serve
Add 1 spring onion, sliced, 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried chilli flakes and 2 teaspoons rice wine. Mix well once more and serve.
Recipe Tips For Salt And Chilli Chicken
Make Ahead: The Chinese crispy chicken used in this recipe freezes well for use in a variety of stir-fry dishes. After the chicken is coated and fried, set aside to cool completely. Store in a food-safe container in the freezer. Simply fry once more from frozen for 2-3 minutes when you’re ready to cook, or use with your favourite stir-fry sauces. The frozen crispy chicken can also be air-fried for 7-8 mins at 200C before finishing in the wok.
Munchy Box: Fry some chips (or even some chips in light batter) and mini spring rolls, or throw a handful of frozen shop bought mozzarella sticks and onion rings in the oven and then wok-fry with the salt and pepper mix to make a mini salt and pepper munch box!
I hope you’ll try this Salt And Chilli Chicken recipe. If you do, let me know in the comments how it went!
Ingredients
- oil for deep frying
- 1 portion cooked crispy chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1/2 green pepper, sliced
- 1/2 carrot, sliced
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic in oil
- 1 green chilli, sliced
- 1 teaspoon Chinese salt & pepper mix see recipe notes
- 1 spring onion, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried chilli flakes
- 2 teaspoons rice wine
Instructions
- Heat oil for deep frying to 180C. Carefully add 1 portion cooked crispy chicken to hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes or until piping hot. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon, drain off any excess and set aside on a plate.
- Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1/2 onion, sliced, 1/2 green pepper, sliced and 1/2 carrot, sliced and stir-fry for 30-40 seconds. Add crispy chicken pieces to wok, then add 2 teaspoons chopped garlic in oil and 1 green chilli, sliced and mix well. Add 1 teaspoon Chinese salt & pepper mix and stir-fry for 30-40 seconds.
- Add 1 spring onion, sliced, 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried chilli flakes and 2 teaspoons rice wine. Mix well once more and serve.
Do you like this Chinese takeaway style salt and chilli chicken recipe? If so, buying a copy of my book might appeal to you! In The Chinese Takeaway Secret you can find a host of restaurant and takeaway style recipes that you can make at home. You’ll learn how to make spring rolls, sweet and sour chicken, satay sauce, chow mein and more! You can buy The Chinese Takeaway Secret in paperback or kindle form here.
- McGovern, Kenny (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 240 Pages – 06/09/2022 (Publication Date) – Robinson (Publisher)
Just made this. Absolutely amazing. As good, if not better than my fave takeaway dish!
I’ve made this twice for my son and first time for me, omg absolutely banging x
Spot on recipe. Just like the take away version!! ?
Best recipe! Tastes better than take away and you know what’s in it.
I used a little less salt than the recipe asks as I use full salt soye sauce.
Whole family love it!
I serve it with rice and homemade curry sauce on the side.
Absolutely delicious ?
Really quick and very tasty, I’ve made this a few times now and it makes great salt and chilli chips.
Tried this loads now and it’s amazing. Thank you
Made this tonight, was delicious! Whole family enjoyed. Worth the messiness of frying, the chicken came out perfectly.
Thanks Petra, I’m so glad you liked it!
Made this for my girlfriends birthday, everything was good apart from the salt overpowering everything. Made 4 portions so multiplied everything by 4. It’s her favourite dish and she couldn’t finish it. Will use the recipe again but the amount of salt definitely needs adjusting.
Thanks for your feedback Michael – how much of the salt & pepper mix did you use? The recipe for the seasoning makes enough for several portions so wouldn’t need to be multiplied by 4 (just a teaspoon of the mix is used per portion and the mix is less than half salt). I’m sorry it didn’t quite work out for you!
Far too salty.
Hi Hector, I’m sorry to hear you found the recipe too salty – the salt & pepper mix makes enough for several portions and only around 1 teaspoon is needed per portion of the finished dish. Thanks for your feedback and for trying the recipe!
Can you cook in the oven…? Don’t have a deep fat fryer or air fryer….
This is amazing!
Can you cook in the oven…? Don’t have a deep fat fryer or air fryer….
You could brush the chicken with some oil after it’s been breaded and bake it, it’ll come out a little more dry and not quite as crispy as if it had been deep fried though – alternatively if you want to fry it, you can fill a large pot or a wok 1/3 full with oil and use that, I have a deep fat fryer but I tend to use a wok filled with oil most of the time because it’s just easier and more convenient.
This was amazing. Nicer than the Chinese and very easy to make. Will be making this again.
Thank you for this, there was many recipes for this but this was the closest to what I had in my head
I Made it for the family last night and it is their new number one favourite
I made some slight alterations to suit tastes
Out
Spring onion
Onion
Green chilli
Less garlic
In
Finely sliced Carrot
Extra red chilli
I added a sprinkle of sea salt and chilli flakes to the chicken coating
I used the leftover egg to make egg fried rice
I see others commenting that it was too salty
I made enough for 3 generous helpings but I only sprinkled one tsp of salt+chilli mix as the smell was overwhelming enough to know not too use too much
Now I have ordered for salted chilli chips and king prawns
Thanks Neil!
I followed the recipe and it came out amazingly! ? it was delicious and the spicing was perfect. My family said it was the best Chinese meal ever. They are still talking about it a week later!
Thanks so much for your comments, I’m delighted to hear that the recipe was a success!
Can you use normal flour instead of corn or potatoe flour
I don’t think plain flour would work too well for this recipe unfortunately Cathy – if you can only get plain flour, you could make salt & chilli chicken wings instead, these are coated in plain flour and fried for 10 minutes which gives the correct texture to the wings – for smaller chicken breast pieces cornflour / potato flour will work better.
Absolutely superb recipe, and better than anything I’ve had from Chinese take-away.
Used red and green chillies and also some chillie flakes so had a nice kick to it.
Kitchen looked a bit bombed afterwards but well worth the effort ??
Very glad you liked it Gordon! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Sorry I meant to add 5 stars to me review
Looks delicious! Is this suitable for freezing? My boyfriend is a trucker and i know he’d love this to take away with him. Thanks!
Thanks so much Lynn, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
You could certainly do the chicken in an airfryer – some of the coating will inevitably be lost (if using an actifry with a paddle) and it might not get quite as crispy as deep fried chicken would but it’ll still work! Let me know how you get on if you try it 🙂
I’ve been using this recipe for about two years now, at least twice a month and this recipe is great. My wife and I absolutely love it. We are just about to eat it now ??. Cheers Kenny . 10 out of 10 ??
Thanks so much for taking the time to review and comment Stephen, I’m very glad you both enjoy it! 🙂
Better than take away
Absolutely fantastic dish. Started making this during lockdown and it’s now family favourite.
Absolutely delicious and highly recommend! This is a hit for all that have tried this dish
OMG, so happy I have found this recipe, we have it twice a week now, once your seasoning is made, set aside the rest for the next time. Full of flavour, no dry meat, perfect ?
Thanks Emma, I’m really glad you like it!