Chilli Chicken

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Cut the chicken in 3-cm cubes and set aside.

Step 2

Mix together all the ingredients under the 'For the marinade' section. Pour half of this mixture over the chicken cubes, and reserve the other half for use later.

Step 3

Coat the chicken well with the marinade, and set it aside to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Step 4

Meanwhile, prep for the sauce. Cut onions and capsicum in 3-cm squares, chop ginger and garlic finely, and cut green chillies and spring onions on the bias. Keep everything chopped and ready.

Step 5

Make a sauce solution by mixing together dark soy, light soy, Chinese cooking wine, vinegar, ketchup, red chilli sauce, salt, pepper, MSG and chicken stock in the proportions given in the 'For the sauce' section. Keep this mixture ready as well.

Step 6

Make a cornflour slurry using ½ tsp cornflour and 1 tsp water. Set aside.

Step 7

Now, once the vegetables, sauce mixture and cornflour slurry are ready, heat up your wok. Add 20 g vegetable oil and allow it to smoke. Add dried red chillies, followed by onions and capsicum. Fry on high heat for a minute before adding sugar. Cook the sugar until slightly caremelised (1 minute). This will allow for the creation of the sticky sauce we've come to associate with chilli chicken.

Step 8

Next, add ginger and green chillies, and fry for 30 seconds before adding garlic. Then add the sauce solution. When it comes to a boil, add the cornflour slurry. Turn off the heat. We will come back to the sauce later.

Step 9

Back to the chicken: To bread the chicken prepare a mixture of cornflour, flour, salt and baking powder in the proportions given in the 'For breading the chicken' section. Now add the remaining half of the marinade we reserved right at the start. Rub it into the flour mixture thoroughly until it resembles breadcrumbs in texture.

Step 10

Now, taking chicken pieces 2 or 3 at a time, coat them in the breading, pressing it down so that it sticks to the chicken. Drop them in oil on medium heat (at roughly 170°C). Fry until golden brown and crisp.

Step 11

On an adjoining burner, heat up the sauce again. Drain the chicken from the oil and immediately transfer it to the sauce. Toss to coat. Garnish with spring onions and serve immediately, while the chicken is still crisp.