Fried Garlic Chicken

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, North American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 40

Servings: servings

Calories: 309kcal

Author: Lord Byron's Kitchen

Fried Garlic Chicken is a crispy fried chicken in a thick and savoury garlic sauce; this dish is most certainly for the garlic lover. Prepared with a unique battering technique, and double fried, this chicken is sweet and super garlicky - it's made with twelve cloves of garlic!

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Ingredients

For the Marinade:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Sauce:

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Bringing the Dish Together:

3/4 cup cornstarch
1 small onion, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
12 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1/2 cup green onions, cut into 1 inch lengths
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
oil for frying, vegetable, canola, or peanut oil

Instructions

Add the cornstarch to a wide, shallow bowl – like a pasta bowl. Gently shimmy the bowl to settle the cornstarch. Next, pour in the water, but avoid pouring the water directly onto the cornstarch. Pour the water down the side of the bowl in a light stream until you have about an inch of water floating on top of the cornstarch. Set this aside and do not move it until ready to use.
Add the chicken pieces to another bowl with the soy sauce, salt, and ground black pepper. Toss well to coat and set aside. Let the chicken marinate for about 10 minutes.
Add the sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk well to combine. Set that aside.
Next, mince the garlic, grate the ginger, chop the green onions, and slice the onion. Set these things aside until ready to use.
Finally, add four inches of vegetable oil to a heavy bottomed pot. Turn on the heat and heat the oil to 315 degrees F.
Transfer the bowl of cornstarch to the sink and very gently and carefully pour the liquid out of the bowl. The cornstarch should have settled into the bottom of the bowl and has not transformed from a light powder to a solid. Use a fork to break up the cornstarch. It will be thick, but very manageable. Transfer the marinated chicken to the cornstarch and toss well to combine. The mixture will be gooey and thick – this is normal!
Once the oil is hot, use tongs to lower the chicken into into the oil one piece at a time. Don’t overcrowd the pot. I tend to fry them off about a dozen pieces at a time. The chicken fries really quickly; it only needs about 5-6 minutes.
Once all of the chicken is fried, increase the heat of the oil to 350 degrees. Carefully place all of the chicken back into the oil. This is what I refer to as the second fry and it will add further crisp to your chicken and it only needs another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain well.
Add one tablespoon of the vegetable oil used for frying the chicken to a large skillet. Over medium-high heat, add the onions and fry until just cooked through – about three to five minutes.
Next, add in all of the garlic and ginger. Stir well and cook for one minute.
Pour in the prepared sauce and stir well. Increase the heat to high and add in all of the chicken. Toss the chicken well into the sauce and garlic mixture.
Add in the green onions and the sesame seeds. Continue to move the chicken about the skillet until the sauce has thickened and the water content has evaporated. Once done, transfer to a plate and garnish.

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