In Memory Of Karen Nicole Smith, 1972 - 2016

Chinese Style Fried Chicken.


I still recall the first time I had this fried chicken at my aunt’s kitchen in Trinidad, topped with the juice of lime pepper sauce which had been marinating for a couple months. The succulent pieces of chicken was just outstanding with the drops of spicy sauce, but the crispy skin stole the show. It’s just one of those things (moments) which will forever be engraved in my memory. The recipe itself is very simple and even with minimal ingredients, the flavor really stands out.

You’ll Need…

1.5 cups light soy sauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 chicken (about 4 bs)
Vegetable oil for frying

Notes: You can add a 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder to the marinade for extra flavor and a little finely chopped scotch bonnet pepper will add the “wickedness” to everything. You’ll also need the juice of a lime or lemon to wash the chicken.

Here’s a tip to know how much vegetable oil you’ll need for frying so you won’t have a dangerous mess with overflowing hot oil when you add the seasoned chicken to the pot. It will also help you determine how large a pot you’ll need. Place your chicken (before seasoning) into the pot you plan on using to fry, then using a measuring cup, pour in water until the chicken is covered. Be sure to write down how many cups of water it took to completely cover the chicken (this will be how much oil you will need). After covering the chicken with water, make sure there is about 3 inches of space before the rim of the pot. Since as you add the chicken to the hot oil it may rise and try to flow over.

Now remove the chicken and get ready to marinade.

Wash the chicken with cool water and lime or lemon juice, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Then place in a large zip lock bag and place the bagged chicken in a bowl which can fit in your fridge. So in the event of a leaky bag, you won’t have a mess in your fridge. All you have to do now is pour in the soy sauce and grate the ginger directly into the bag. Squeeze out as much air as you can as you seal the bag.. then massage the entire chicken so the marinade gets up-close and personal with the entire bird.

Allow the now seasoned chicken to marinate in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove from the fridge and allow to come back to room temperature as you heat the oil for frying (get it to about 325F). Using paper towels, dry off the chicken so we won’t have any liquid causing problems when we introduce it to the hot oil.

With my oil nice and hot (med/high flame) I gently added the chicken to it.

Depending on the size of your chicken, it can take between 40 and 50 minutes to cook all the way though and get you that lovely crispy skin. If you’re using chicken pieces, it should be fully cooked after about 25 minutes. I then placed the fried chicken to cool on a cooling rack in a baking tray. So the excess oil will drain into the tray.

Since we’re using soy sauce to marinate the chicken, you may find that the chicken may turn out to be a bit salty (why we went for light soy sauce). You can certainly rinse the chicken with cool water after marinating overnight to help with that, but the sort of salty base is what’s unique about this fried chicken.. get some Hoisin sauce and the sweetness will work as a good balance for the chicken. Don’t forget to have some good Caribbean pepper sauce ready as well.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

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20 Comments

  1. Marlene Barkey
    September 22, 2023 / 10:14 pm

    Would this work in an air fryer? Or even a turkey fryer.

    • admin
      Author
      September 26, 2023 / 8:37 am

      yes for both. I’ll do an airfryer version very soon.

  2. lisa ali
    February 26, 2014 / 4:46 pm

    thank you very much for this recipe. this chicken was a big hit. I did however added some trini hot sauce together with the marinade. it was awesome…..thanks again!!!!

  3. Martha smith
    November 26, 2013 / 9:10 am

    Going to try your recipe tomorrow

  4. amina
    May 17, 2013 / 6:37 am

    can you do a recipe for curry chataigne chris?

    • Judy whilby
      July 25, 2021 / 8:38 am

      Yes please do!

  5. J. Ward
    April 30, 2013 / 6:15 pm

    Looks delicious! Will try this weekend

  6. Mr Wonderful
    March 10, 2013 / 12:24 pm

    Just want to say great work…I am reading a lot of yur recipes and almost all so far are spot on /w a little of my own changes things are fine….keep it up my brother.

  7. Justina
    January 29, 2013 / 9:54 am

    This is my fav chicken recipe Chris!

  8. Chriscamp
    December 31, 2012 / 11:45 am

    This chicken recipe is so good it cannot be put into words. This has now become one of my favourite recipes. Easily the best chicken I have ever prepared and the recipe was easy to follow.

    This site is so good it is unbelievable. Keep up the good work,

  9. Melissa
    December 6, 2012 / 11:40 am

    i love chinese chicken ,, thank you for this recipes i have to try this 🙂

  10. n. hector
    November 24, 2012 / 5:09 pm

    haven't tried i yet (the recipe) but it is veru comprehensible. that's what i like abou your recipes they are very straight forward. thatnks going to try it soon.

  11. Tasty JoJo
    November 18, 2012 / 6:58 am

    Ive just finished serving this Chinese style chicken to the 'in-laws'. I added scotch bonnet to the seasoning for a little extra 'wickedness' & served with Thai chilli sauce. It definitely impressed!
    This chicken has the taste and crispiness of the Aromatic duck we get in good Chinese restaurants. The soy sauce marinade gives it a moreish-ness that is literally finger lickin'.

    I cooked mine for 50 mins… but next time will cook for less time as it was a little over dry. Other than that, it was Perfection on a plate, and so easy to make.

    Thanks Chris. x

  12. Patrice
    October 23, 2012 / 7:27 pm

    Hi Chris, I've done Chinese roast chicken before but not the fried. That looks realy scrumptious, I should be trying it soon

  13. Jeneil
    October 21, 2012 / 9:14 am

    I tried your recipe using chicken wings and I must say it was delicious! Thank you so much

  14. Jayne
    October 16, 2012 / 2:44 pm

    I've never done a chicken like this but my brother does something similar . I always think about what am I going to do with the oil after . We don't do a lot of fry foods either but I do know about that taste.I remember it also from my childhood.

    • Susan
      June 4, 2021 / 5:05 pm

      Tried this simple recipe today. My favorite from now on, I did add a little tweak to mines in the marinade. But delicious

  15. Andy Sharp
    October 16, 2012 / 11:44 am

    Bit heavy for my diet but I know someone who doesn't have that problem.

    Thanks

    Andy

    P.S. Would you be so kind as to send me my login name and a new password to my e-mail address. I have so many for my job that I have clean forgotten what my Caribbeanpot Login is. Sorry!!

  16. klp
    October 16, 2012 / 9:13 am

    Chris….you make cooking so pleasureable

  17. Antonette Simpson
    October 16, 2012 / 8:52 am

    Lovely> Never knew you could fry a whole chicken. Will try it one of these days.

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