Fry

Sam Sifton's Trini-Chinese Chicken

by:
February 26, 2020
4.3
3 Ratings
Sam Sifton's Trini-Chinese Chicken
Photo by David Malosh
  • Prep time 35 minutes
  • Cook time 25 minutes
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

Reprinted from See You on Sunday. Copyright © 2019 by Sam Sifton. Photographs © 2019 by David Malosh. Published by Random House, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. —Food52

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 8 to 10 chicken thighs, legs, and wings (about 3 pounds total)
  • 2 tablespoons Chinese five-spice powder
  • 3 or 4 limes
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 2-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1/2 cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup oyster sauce
  • 1 to 3 tablespoons Scotch bonnet pepper sauce, such as Matouk's
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped green scallions
Directions
  1. In a large nonreactive bowl, toss the chicken with the five-spice powder, then with the juice of 2 of the limes, the soy sauce, and ginger. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to a full day.
  2. Combine the oils in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. There should be at least 1/₄ inch of oil in the pan. When the oil is hot, remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing the excess marinade to drip back into the bowl, and fry, in batches if necessary to not crowd the pan, turning the pieces frequently, until well browned and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce. Combine the oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon of the hot pepper sauce, and the juice of the third lime and stir to combine. Adjust the seasonings with more hot sauce, lime juice, and black pepper to taste.
  4. Garnish with the scallions and serve with white or fried rice, with a drizzle of the sauce over each piece of chicken and the remaining sauce on the side.
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2 Reviews

judy
judy October 16, 2021
Really tasty. I did not deposit fry. I marinaded the chicken, then added some oil and tossed. Then baked in the oven. I don't deep or fry anything. Oil not good for the environment. And very expensive to use as well as difficult to dispose of. Amazing flavors. I'm sure if I had fried would hav been a totally different experience, but ours was great. Preheated oven to 425F, baked for 15 minutes then turned down for about 10. And done! So good. Served with mung bean noodles, tossed in ginger oi with green onion. will do again....So easy.
 
Barbt1956
Barbt1956 April 14, 2020
Simple, but delicious. The hardest part is getting it to that beautiful golden brown in the picture while getting the chicken cooked through. Mine was much darker, but it tasted great. The sauce was so much better than I expected from the simple ingredients. I will definitely make this again, but turn the chicken a lot faster,