Chinese Fried Chicken

This is my sister, Hetty's recipe and dish. While others in Hong Kong may make something similar, I will almost guarantee you that none are as good as hers. Yep, I'm pretty darn proud of my sister, who really taught me how to cook... starting with a scrambled egg all those many years ago in our tiny kitchen in our flat (apartment) in Hong Kong.

We never had a name for this dish, we just called it "Hetty's Chicken", but over the past couple of years since first making it, my husband says we should call it "Eurasian Fried Chicken". I kinda like that... What do you think?

This dish is really SO super simple to make. My best hint is to allow it to marinade for a fair few hours, even overnight so the flavours really penetrate the chicken and becomes a flavour explosion in your mouth. The flavour really is very unique and when you eat with a keen mind, you will be able to detect all the flavours.

So fast and easy is this dish that I'll usually make the marinade in the evening in a ziplock baggie, shake all the ingredients together so well combined, then add the chicken. Every few hours, I'll go and "massage" the chicken in the baggie and then let it sit longer. The next day, I just pop the chicken out; and cover then piece by piece in corn starch, then into the hot oil they go.

Once cooked, I let them drain for a few minutes on a cooling rack over a plate to let the excess oil drop out, then I cut them into strips. Oh-soh-good!!!




6 Chicken legs - de-boned but with skin on (or you can use without the skin on)
1 tsp Chicken powder (chicken buillion cubes crumbled)
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Pepper
½ cup Soy Sauce (light or dark)
8 Cloves Garlic*
3-inch peeled Ginger*
2 TBSP Chinese Rice Cooking wine (optional)
Dash of oil
1 Pkt Cornflour (Corn Starch)
2 tsp sesame seed oil

1. Wash and dry chicken legs
2. In a gallon zip lock bag, add all seasonings except the corn flour. Mix well.
3. Add the chicken and marinate for an hour, or even better to keep it in the fridge over night. Turn the chicken legs from time to time.
4. Coat the chicken legs with corn starch before deep frying.
5. Heat oil - if you have bamboo chopsticks, dip the chopstick into the hot oil, if it has small bubbles sizzling around the tip of the chopstick, you know the oil is hot enough.
6. Add chicken - cook about 10 mins turn to other side and cook another 10 mins.

When cooked, sliced the chicken at a slight angle about 1-inch thick strips.

*I use a Magic Bullet blender and blend the garlic and ginger with about 2 TBSP of regular oil. It made a lovely runny sauce which, when added to the marinade, gives the chicken an awesome flavour!!!

If you've not got a Magic Bullet blender, you can try doing it in a food processor, regular blender, or even using a barmix wand.