I still recall the taste of my mom’s Chinese style fried chicken and seeing the fried ginger and hot pepper which was thrown to the side of the stove, which were used to infuse the frying oil. The experience was unforgettable and one that helped to cultivate my love for cooking.
Mummy also fried a whole half of chicken in a large pot of oil which can be daunting but using smaller chicken pieces makes this recipe easier and more approachable.
The chicken is seasoned simply with soy sauce, ginger, garlic and five spice and should be marinated for one day min to allow the flavors to penetrate the meat.
She served it for a special weekend lunch with Trini fried rice and pepper shrimps. In my video I served it with Trini Fried Rice and Lo Mein.
TRINI CHINESE STYLE FRIED CHICKEN
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken whole or pieces (or legs and thighs)
- 2 scallions
- 8 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons minced ginger
- 1 cup soy sauce regular (not dark)
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- Hot pepper sliced
- 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Cut chicken in half if using a whole chicken. Wash with juice of a lemon and water or vinegar. Rinse and pat dry.
- Place remaining ingredients, except oil, in a food processor, blender or mortar and pestle and pulse or pound until roughly chopped.
- Season chicken with blended mixture and marinate several days or minimum overnight.
- Next day remove from marinade, place on a rack over a sheet pan and air dry in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight.
- When ready to cook, bring chicken to room temperature.
- Heat oil in a large deep, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.
- Carefully place the chicken in the hot oil, reduce heat to low and fry both sides until golden brown and fully cooked.
- Remove chicken pieces from the pot, place on paper towels or rack to drain.
- Cut up if using whole chicken and serve.
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A Trinidadian culinary connoisseur sharing recipes from Trinidad and the Caribbean with a modern twist.