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