Name: Salt and pepper chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces; 50g cornflour; 1 tsp Chinese five-spice plus a pinch; vegetable oil for frying; 1 onion diced; 5 spring onions sliced into lengths; 1 red chilli sliced; 1 tbsp finely grated ginger; 2 garlic cloves crushed; large pinch of flaky sea salt; ½ tsp szechuan peppercorns ground; 3 tbsp shaoxing rice wine; 3 tbsp soy sauce

A plate of chicken with spring onions on a turquoise tablecloth with a bowl of rice and a spoon on the side

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
cut into bite-sized pieces
50g cornflour
1 tsp Chinese five-spice
plus a pinch
vegetable oil
for frying
1 onion
diced
5 spring onions
sliced into lengths
1 red chilli
sliced
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
2 garlic cloves
crushed
large pinch of flaky sea salt
½ tsp szechuan peppercorns
ground
3 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
3 tbsp soy sauce

Method

step 1
Put the chicken in a bowl, sprinkle over the cornflour and add a pinch of five spice and a pinch of salt. Toss well.
step 2
Heat about 2cm of oil in a wok or deep frying pan until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds when gently lowered in. Add the chicken and fry for 10-12 mins or until golden and crunchy. Drain on kitchen paper.
step 3
Pour out most of the oil into a heatproof bowl, leaving 1 tbsp of oil in the pan. Add the onion, spring onion and chilli, stir-fry for 3 mins, tossing frequently, then add the ginger and garlic. Fry for another minute until fragrant, then add the chicken back to the pan with 1 tsp of the five spice, salt, pepper, wine and soy sauce. Give everything a toss to coat briefly in the sauce and spices. Serve with rice and steamed Chinese greens, if you like.