Crispy Salt and Pepper Chicken is a popular dish you can make right at home. Spice up your life with this sizzling salt and pepper chicken recipe. It's a perfect blend of heat and flavor with a colorful kick of red and green chilies!
I don't know if the best part of this dish is how quickly you can make it, or how amazing it tastes!
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This chicken stirfry meal is super easy and ready in under 30 minutes! The seasoned chicken is fried until crispy perfection.
This is one of my favorite things to order at Chinese restaurants, but you can have this crispy chicken on the table in less time then it takes to order Chinese takeout!
This chicken recipe is perfect for busy weeknights. Serve it with rice or noodles. For a low carb meal, try it with zoodles or cauliflower rice.
🧂 Ingredients
This is meant to be a brief overview of this great recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
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- cornflour (makes the chicken extra crispy)
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- Chinese five spice
- chicken thighs or chicken breast
- vegetable oil
- onion
- red chili pepper
- green chili pepper
- fresh garlic
- spring onions (scallions)
🔪 Instructions
- Toss the chicken with the dry ingredients to coat.
- Cook the onions, peppers, and garlic in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil.
- Fry the chicken in the hot oil until golden brown.
- Toss the chicken pieces and vegetables together and serve hot.
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💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions (and answers!) readers often ask about this recipe.
Asian food is known to be a blend of sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and bitter flavors. Chinese five spice is a balance of all these flavors and a key ingredient in many Chinese-inspired dishes.
This seasoning is usually fennel seed, star anise, cloves, and Chinese cinnamon. Some mixtures contain ground ginger while others have white pepper. Sichuan peppercorns are also sometimes used. The mixture is ground together to create a powdered seasoning blend.
Mix 1 teaspoon each of the following: ground cinnamon, ground star anise, and ground fennel. Then add a pinch of ground white pepper and a pinch of ground cloves.
⭐ Ang's Tips
✔️ Anytime you're deep frying, be sure to take great care around the hot oil. Be sure to turn your skillet handle toward the back of the stove. Place food gently into the oil so it doesn't splash.
✔️ Note: the USDA recommends chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165F. You can use a meat thermometer to check if you're not sure.
🍲 Storage
To Store: Leftover Salt and Pepper Chicken should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. (These are my favorite airtight containers.)
To Reheat: Microwave individual portions in 30-second intervals until heated throughout.
📖 Variations
The first time you try any new recipe we recommend that you make it just as it is written on the recipe card since that is how our easy salt and pepper chicken recipe has been tested. However, the next time you make our recipe, you might want to try one of these ideas:
If a lot of heat isn't your thing, substitute the chili peppers for red and green bell peppers instead.
You can add other fresh vegetables to the skillet if you like. Carrots and broccoli are my favorites. You could also add sugar snap peas, mushrooms,. water chestnuts, baby corn, or even asparagus.
You could also cook the vegetables in a little bit of sesame oil, which has its own unique flavor.
👉 Out of something you need? Check out our free ingredient substitutions printable!
🍴 Serving Suggestions
I love serving this with white rice, or brown rice. My husband sometimes prefers noodles. Either way, I think this crispy chicken will be a big hit at your house, too!
😋 Similar Recipes
Next time, try one of these delicious recipes:
- instant pot orange chicken
- teriyaki chicken skewers
- slow cooker beef and broccoli
- sesame chicken
- honey garlic slow cooker chicken
- crockpot teriyaki chicken
- sweet and sour meatballs
- steak fried rice
Not ready to make this salt-and-pepper chicken recipe yet?
When you do make it, please come back and comment and leave me a 5-star rating below! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Salt and Pepper Chicken
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Ingredients
- ½ cup corn starch
- ¾ tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Chinese five spice
- 1½- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 red chili diced
- 1 green chili diced
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 3 green onions (also called green onions or scallions) chopped
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with a paper towel; set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the onion and peppers for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.1 medium onion, 1 red chili, 1 green chili, kosher salt and black pepper to taste, 2 cloves fresh garlic
- In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients.½ cup corn starch, ¾ tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon Chinese five spice
- Toss the chicken in the dry ingredients to coat.1½- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Add the oil to a large frying pan over high heat until hot.1 cup vegetable oil
- Carefully add the chicken to the pan one piece at a time. Fry until golden brown turning occasionally, about 5-7 minutes. Do not crowd the pan. You will most likely need to cook the chicken in 2 batches.
- Place the cooked chicken onto the prepared pan to get rid of the excess oil.
- Add the cooked chicken to the skillet with the onion mixture. Add the green onions and toss to mix everything.3 green onions (also called green onions or scallions)
Meal Planning
Want to add this recipe to your meal plan? Download our free printable meal plan here.
This crispy salt and pepper chicken recipe is included in Meal Plan 13 along with:
- strawberry poppyseed salad
- easy orange chicken
- hamburger potato casserole
- lemon shrimp scampi
- oven roasted pork tenderloin
... and more!
Be sure to check out all our meal plan ideas here.
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