Salt & Pepper Chicken 🇨🇳

 

This salt and pepper combo is such a Cantonese classic that you will probably find on the menu of  every Chinese restaurant and takeaway.  Making it at home is easy.  I  dust slices of chicken breast with flour seasoned with salt, pepper and five spice powder, then shallow fry them in hot oil.  Toss in some garlic, chopped spring onions and red chillies to jazz  it all up at the end, and that's about it.  Delicious with rice and some green vegetables on the side.  You can make salt and pepper prawns, squids, fish and tofu too, using more or less the same method.  Feel free to adjust the ratio of salt, pepper and spice to suit your taste.  It's best to use a wok to cook this.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 320g /11oz  chicken breast, cut into 1 cm /½"  thick slices 
• ¼ cup plain flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• ¼ teaspoon five spice powder
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
•  ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes

METHOD

1. Combine flour, salt, pepper and five spice powder in a large bowl.
2. Toss chicken slices in the flour mixture to coat.
3. In a wok, heat oil over medium high heat.  Fry chicken slices in batches until pinkish colour disappear, making sure you don't overcrowd the wok at any one time.  Use a long pair of wooden chopsticks or heat resistant tongs for this operation.  Remove the cooked chicken slices and place them on paper towels to drain off excess oil. 
4. Add the crushed garlic into the wok to fry for about 30 seconds in the residual oil over medium high heat.  Transfer the cooked chicken slices back into the wok.  Toss in chopped spring onions and red chillies.  Mix quickly with a wok spatula and serve over rice.