Classic crispy chilli chicken

Name: Classic crispy chilli chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 600 g chicken breast, cut in strips; 50 g all-purpose flour, plain flour; 60 g cornstarch, cornflour; 1 egg; 60 ml water, ice-cold; 1/4 tsp salt; about 95 g absorbed canola oil, from a pan of vegetable oil for deep-frying; 130 g jasmine rice, rinsed; 7 tbsp sweet chilli sauce; 2 1/2 tbsp ketchup; 2 tbsp granulated sugar; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 60 ml water; 1 tbsp canola oil; 1 small onion, in wedges; 2/3 red bell peppers, in strips; 2/3 green pepper bell peppers, in strips; 1–2 red chillies red chili pepper, sliced; 3 cloves garlic, sliced; small piece ginger, in matchsticks; 2 spring onions green onions, shredded

The Friday-night takeaway favourite: strips of chicken in a crunchy batter, deep-fried, then tossed in a thick, sticky sweet chilli and tomato sauce with onion, peppers and fresh chilli, with boiled rice.

Want a more filling version?Air-fryer crispy chilli chicken 59

Time: 45 min (20 prep + 25 cook)
Servings: 4
Per serving: 797 kcal
Protein: 42 g

Servings4

Ingredients

Crispy chicken

600 g chicken breast, cut in strips
50 g all-purpose flour, plain flour
60 g cornstarch, cornflour
1 egg
60 ml water, ice-cold
1/4 tsp salt
about 95 g absorbed canola oil, from a pan of vegetable oil for deep-frying

Rice

130 g jasmine rice, rinsed

Chilli sauce

7 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 1/2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
60 ml water

Vegetables

1 tbsp canola oil
1 small onion, in wedges
2/3 red bell peppers, in strips
2/3 green pepper bell peppers, in strips
1–2 red chillies red chili pepper, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
small piece ginger, in matchsticks
2 spring onions green onions, shredded

Steps

Whisk the flour, cornflour, egg, ice-cold water and salt into a thick batter and stir in the chicken strips.
Heat oil for deep-frying to 350°F. Fry the chicken in batches for 4–5 minutes, until golden, crisp and 165°F inside, and drain on a rack.
Cook the rice according to the packet.
Mix the sweet chilli sauce, ketchup, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and water.
Heat the tablespoon of oil in a wok and stir-fry the onion and peppers for 3 minutes, then the chillies, garlic and ginger for 1 minute.
Pour in the sauce and bubble until sticky, then toss in the chicken, scatter with spring onions and serve with the rice.

Good to know

Why cornflour in the batter?

Cornflour fries crisper and lighter than wheat flour alone, which is what gives a takeaway coating its crunch.

Alternative

59Want a more filling version?Air-fryer crispy chilli chicken

Per

Calories: 193
Protein: (21%); 10 g
Fat: (38%); 8 g
Carbohydrates: (40%); 20 g
of which sugar: 6 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sodium: 330 mg

More meals

Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How

As written, 3186 kcal goes into the pot and 1700 g of ingredients comes out as about 1650 g of food: 193 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.

Classic crispy chilli chicken