A good salt and pepper chicken starts with a thin, even coating and a hot enough fry to set the crust before the meat overcooks. This version keeps the seasoning simple—coarse salt, cracked pepper, scallion, and a little heat—so the chicken stays the star. You get shatter-crisp bites that taste closer to a takeout box than most restaurant versions.
The method below uses boneless thigh for moisture and a cornstarch dredge for crunch. It’s a straight-forward chicken goujons style approach, just finished with aromatics instead of sauce. If you want a lighter plate, the variations cover an air-fried route that still crisps.
Why You’ll Love These Salt And Pepper Chicken
- Thigh meat stays juicy while the cornstarch crust turns golden and crisp in under 10 minutes of frying.
- The seasoning is built from pantry staples, so you don’t need a special sauce or marinade overnight.
- Finished bites are dry-fried with scallion and chili, which keeps them crunchy instead of soggy.
- It scales easily for two or six because the fry batches separate cleanly without sticking.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 700g boneless chicken thigh, cut into 3cm bite pieces
- 90g cornstarch
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus extra for finishing
- 1 tsp coarse black pepper, cracked
- 4 scallions, sliced thin
- 2 green chillies, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 litre neutral oil for frying
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Ingredient Substitutions
Boneless chicken thigh: Replace with an equal weight of chicken breast cut to the same 3cm size for a leaner bite. Breast cooks faster and dries sooner, so drop the fry time by about 45 seconds per batch and watch for golden and crispy edges as your cue. Expect a firmer texture and less rendered fat in the pan.
Cornstarch: Use an equal weight of potato starch if you want a slightly lighter, glassier crust. Potato starch browns a touch faster, so keep the oil at 180°C / 350°F and pull pieces the moment they turn pale gold. The coating will feel less chalky but holds crispness for a shorter window after frying.
Green chillies: Swap for 1 tsp dried red chili flakes if fresh pods aren’t available. Dried flakes distribute heat more evenly but lack the fresh bite and color, so add them with the garlic off the heat to avoid scorching. The finished salt and pepper chicken will read spicier per gram but less bright.
Sesame oil: Replace with an equal amount of toasted peanut oil for a nuttier finish. Peanut oil has a higher smoke point, letting you toss aromatics at medium-high heat without bitterness. The dish gains a roasted note that pairs well with plain rice. If you enjoyed this, our pepper egg sandwich is worth trying next.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Toss the chicken pieces with cornstarch, plain flour, fine salt, and cracked pepper in a bowl until each piece is evenly dusted and no wet spots remain.
- Heat the neutral oil in a heavy pot to 180°C / 350°F using a thermometer; never crowd the pan or the temperature will drop and the crust will soak oil.
- Fry chicken in three batches for 5 minutes each, turning once, until the coating is golden and crispy and the meat reaches a safe internal temperature of 74°C / 165°F.
- Lift pieces to a wire rack and rest 2 minutes while you heat a separate skillet with sesame oil over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic, scallion, and chilli to the skillet and stir for 45 seconds until fragrant but not browned, then add the fried chicken and toss to coat.
- Finish with a pinch of coarse salt and cracked pepper, then serve immediately while the crust is still loud-crisp.
Pro Tips
Dry the chicken well with paper towels before dredging so the starch adheres instead of clumping into wet patches that steam in the oil. A damp surface is the main reason home batches turn out soft rather than crisp.
Use a wire rack instead of paper towels after frying so steam escapes from all sides and the bottom stays crunchy. Towels trap heat underneath and turn the crust slack within a minute.
Keep a deep fry thermometer in the pot and fry in small batches to hold the heat near the target. Recovery time between batches matters more than the recipe time for even browning.
Slice scallions on a bias so they soften at the same rate as the chilli and garlic during the short toss. Straight cuts leave white ends tough while the green tops overcook.
Season the finished salt and pepper chicken in the skillet, not the dredge bowl, so the coarse pepper stays visible and doesn’t burn during the fry. This keeps the pepper aroma sharp.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Skipping the rest on a rack leads to a soggy bottom because trapped steam rewets the crust; always lift fried pieces off the towel and let air move around them.
Overloading the pot drops the oil under 160°C and the coating absorbs grease, so fry in three separate batches even if the pan looks roomy at the start.
Burning the garlic in the finishing skillet turns the whole dish bitter; keep the aromatics moving and pull the heat the second they smell toasted, not brown.
Cutting pieces larger than 3cm means the outside crisps before the center cooks through, leaving raw spots; keep the size uniform so timing stays honest. For another easy option, check out our chicken milanese.
Serving Suggestions
Plate the salt and pepper chicken over steamed jasmine rice to catch the light sesame and scallion oil from the toss. A simple shishito peppers side adds a second pepper note without repeating the heat.
For a fuller spread, add chicken quesadillas earlier in the week and use leftovers here as a different texture. The crisp bites also work cold in a lunch box with cucumber sticks.
Serve with a wedge of lime if you want a sharper edge against the salt; the acid cuts the fried richness better than extra pepper alone.
Storage and Reheating
Store cooled salt and pepper chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, layered with paper to absorb moisture. Cooked poultry shouldn’t sit out beyond 2 hours at room temperature.
Reheat in a 200°C / 400°F oven for 8 minutes on a rack to bring the crust back, until the center hits 74°C / 165°F again. The skillet toss won’t revive crunch, so skip microwaving if texture matters.
Freeze plain fried pieces without aromatics for freeze for up to 2 months, then finish with scallion and chilli after reheating. The fresh toss keeps the garlic from going stale in the freezer.
Recipe Variations
Air-Fried Version
Spray the dredged chicken with oil and air fry at 200°C / 400°F for 12 minutes, shaking once at the halfway point. The crust is slightly less glassy than deep-fried but holds a clean crunch with far less oil used.
Shrimp Swap
Replace thigh with equal-weight peeled shrimp and cut the fry to 2 minutes since shellfish cooks fast and turns rubbery if overdone. The same scallion and chili toss works, though the salt level should drop by a third.
Five-Spice Twist
Add 1 tsp Chinese five-spice to the dredge for a warmer, anise-led profile that suits the pepper finish. The aroma shifts from plain savory to bakery-warm, so pair with plain rice rather than seasoned noodles.
Low-Chilli Option
Use a single mild red pepper instead of green chillies and add it with the scallion only at the end for gentle heat. This keeps the chicken pizzaiola crowd at the table happy without losing the pepper identity.
Salt And Pepper Chicken
Description
This salt and pepper chicken uses boneless thigh with a cornstarch dredge for a shatter-crisp crust finished with scallion, chili, and garlic. It's a straight-forward goujons-style fry that tastes closer to a takeout box than most restaurant versions.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Dredge the chicken
Toss the 700g chicken pieces with 90g cornstarch, 2 tbsp plain flour, 1 tsp fine sea salt, and 1 tsp cracked pepper in a bowl until each piece is evenly dusted and no wet spots remain. Dry the chicken well with paper towels before dredging so the starch adheres instead of clumping into wet patches that steam in the oil.
-
Heat fry oil
Heat the 1 litre neutral oil in a heavy pot to 180°C / 350°F using a thermometer; never crowd the pan or the temperature will drop and the crust will soak oil. Keep a deep fry thermometer in the pot and fry in small batches to hold the heat near the target for even browning.
-
Fry chicken batches
Fry chicken in three batches for 5 minutes each, turning once, until the coating is golden and crispy and the meat reaches a safe internal temperature of 74°C / 165°F. Lift pieces to a wire rack and rest 2 minutes while you heat a separate skillet with sesame oil over medium-high heat.
-
Rest fried chicken
Use a wire rack instead of paper towels after frying so steam escapes from all sides and the bottom stays crunchy. Towels trap heat underneath and turn the crust slack within a minute, so always lift fried pieces off the towel and let air move around them.
-
Heat aromatics skillet
Heat a separate skillet with 1 tsp sesame oil over medium-high heat after the chicken has rested. Add 3 garlic cloves, 4 scallions, and 2 green chillies and stir for 45 seconds until fragrant but not browned, keeping the aromatics moving so the garlic does not burn.
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Toss chicken with aromatics
Add the fried chicken to the skillet with the aromatics and toss to coat in the scallion and chili oil. Season the finished salt and pepper chicken in the skillet, not the dredge bowl, so the coarse pepper stays visible and doesn't burn during the fry.
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Finish and serve
Finish with a pinch of coarse salt and cracked pepper, then serve immediately while the crust is still loud-crisp. The finished bites are dry-fried with scallion and chili, which keeps them crunchy instead of soggy, so plate and eat right away for best texture.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 420kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 22g34%
- Saturated Fat 5g25%
- Cholesterol 95mg32%
- Sodium 620mg26%
- Total Carbohydrate 24g8%
- Dietary Fiber 2g8%
- Sugars 1g
- Protein 28g57%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- Storage: Store cooled salt and pepper chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, layered with paper to absorb moisture, and don't leave cooked poultry out beyond 2 hours.
- Reheating: Reheat in a 200°C / 400°F oven for 8 minutes on a rack until the center hits 74°C / 165°F again; skip microwaving as the skillet toss won't revive crunch.
- Pro tip: Dry the chicken with paper towels before dredging and use a wire rack after frying so the crust stays crisp on all sides.
- Related: For a different texture earlier in the week, try our chicken quesadillas and use leftovers here.
