Salted Crispy Chicken: A Culinary Masterpiece for the Home Chef

If you had the pleasure of tasting a Shanghai-style fried chicken, you couldn't forget its mind-blowing taste.

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Here’s how to cook a delicious, tantalizing dish of salt-crusted fried chicken:

How to choose the best chicken

To choose the best chicken for this dish, ensure it’s hygienically raised by keeping a few things in mind:

  • Avoid very large chickens, as their meat tends to be tough and less flavorful. Ideal chickens weigh between 1.5-2 kg.
  • Examine the meat’s color when purchasing. Good chicken has a light pink hue, thin, smooth skin with a pale yellow color, and some parts like the wings, breast, and back may have a deeper yellow color.
  • Fresh chicken has a distinctive aroma; avoid any chicken with an off or foul smell.
  • Gently press the meat; if it feels mushy, soft, or lacks elasticity, it may be injected with water.
  • Another way to identify good quality chicken is to check its neck; observe it closely. If it appears glossy, has no blood clots, and has no small red bumps, it indicates a healthy, tasty chicken.

Choosing fresh chicken

 Ingredients for the salt-crusted fried chicken

  • 1kg free-range chicken
  • 1 egg
  • 1 small bowl of cornstarch
  • 5 kaffir lime leaves
  • 10 lemongrass stalks
  • Seasonings: Fish sauce, black pepper, salt, cooking oil

Ingredients for the salt crust

  • 1 small bowl of glutinous rice
  • 1 small bowl of regular rice
  • 1 teaspoon peeled mung beans
  • 1 teaspoon white salt

Cooking instructions

Step 1: Preparing the ingredients

  • Crack the egg into a bowl, separating the egg white.
  • Rinse the chicken, then rub it with vinegar and salt to remove any unpleasant odor; rinse again and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
  • Once the chicken is prepared, marinate it in a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of MSG, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and the egg yolk; mix well.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it marinate for about 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to absorb.
  • Peel the ginger, rinse it, smash it, and slice it into thin strips.
  • Rinse the lemongrass, cut it into long pieces, then shred it. Clean the kaffir lime leaves and chop them finely.

Preparing the ingredients

 

Step 2: Making the salt crust for the chicken

  • Rinse the glutinous rice, regular rice, and mung beans thoroughly, keeping each type separate, and soak them in water for about 20 minutes to soften.
  • Next, roast each ingredient in a pan until cooked through; toast the mung beans until they turn golden brown and have an appealing aroma.
  • After roasting the glutinous rice, regular rice, and mung beans, grind them in a blender until they form a fine powder.
  • Put the white salt in a pan and dry-roast it, then crush it into small pieces.
  • In a bowl, combine all the roasted ingredients and mix them well.

Making the salt crust for the chicken

Step 3: Cooking the salt-crusted chicken

  • Place a pan on the stove and add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Note: It’s recommended to use a deep, non-stick pan for easier frying.
  • Pour the cornstarch into a bowl, coat each chicken piece with the cornstarch.
  • Once the oil is hot, add the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces and fry until golden brown, then remove them.
  • Add the lemongrass, ginger, and kaffir lime leaves to the pan and fry until crispy; remove them and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
  • Finally, place a dry pan on the stove, add the fried chicken, along with the salt crust mixture and the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves; stir continuously for about 3-5 minutes, then turn off the heat. For those who prefer a spicier dish, add chili peppers, fry them, and mix them with the chicken, giving the dish an extra kick.

Cooking the salt-crusted chicken

Step 4: Presentation and serving

  • Once you’ve completed the steps for making salt-crusted fried chicken, arrange the chicken on a plate and garnish it to make it visually appealing.
  • The salt-crusted fried chicken tastes even better when dipped in chili sauce. The dish has an attractive golden color with a light golden crust around each chicken piece.
  • When you take a bite, you’ll experience a burst of flavors, from the rich saltiness to the aromatic roasted rice powder combined with mung beans, all complemented by the crispy texture of the cornstarch-coated chicken.

The completed salt-crusted fried chicken

These are the steps involved in cooking a delicious and tantalizing salt-crusted fried chicken.

Frequently asked questions

For the chicken:

  • 1kg free-range chicken
  • 1 egg
  • Cornstarch (small bowl)
  • 5 kaffir lime leaves
  • 10 stalks of lemongrass
  • Seasonings: Fish sauce, black pepper, salt, cooking oil

For the salt crust:

  • Glutinous rice (small bowl)
  • Regular rice (small bowl)
  • 1 teaspoon peeled mung beans
  • 1 teaspoon white salt

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients

  • Separate the egg white and yolk, keeping the yolk for the marinade.
  • Rinse and prepare the chicken, rubbing it with vinegar and salt to remove any odors. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
  • Marinate the chicken with MSG, fish sauce, black pepper, and egg yolk for 30 minutes.
  • Peel, rinse, and slice the ginger into thin strips.
  • Rinse and shred the lemongrass, and finely chop the kaffir lime leaves.

Step 2: Make the salt crust

  • Rinse and soak the glutinous rice, regular rice, and mung beans separately for 20 minutes.
  • Roast each ingredient until cooked, especially the mung beans which should be golden brown and aromatic.
  • Grind the roasted ingredients into a fine powder.
  • Dry-roast and crush the white salt.
  • Combine all the roasted ingredients in a bowl.

Step 3: Cook the chicken

  • Heat a deep, non-stick pan with 3 tablespoons of cooking oil.
  • Coat each piece of chicken with cornstarch before frying until golden brown.
  • Fry the lemongrass, ginger, and kaffir lime leaves until crispy. Drain on paper towels.
  • In a dry pan, combine the fried chicken, salt crust mixture, and fried herbs. Stir continuously for 3-5 minutes, adding chili peppers for extra spice if desired.

Step 4: Serve

Arrange the chicken on a plate and garnish. This dish is best served with chili sauce for dipping. Enjoy the burst of flavors and the crispy texture of the chicken!

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