Fried Garlic Chicken

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!

It’s no secret that I love sauce. Any dish prepared with sauce is always going to be a personal favourite of mine. And, I happen to love garlic too, so this Fried Garlic Chicken was perfect for me! This is one of those recipes that I make just for myself. Whenever I find myself at home alone, especially at mealtime, I’ll make something just like this. My partner, John.e, is a vegetarian, so that’s one reason to prepare this dish when he’s away.

I still remember the first time I tried it. I was a bit nervous because I thought it was going to be too spicy. Do you know how garlic can sometimes have that warm, spicy taste? But, when garlic is cooked, it mellows out and becomes sweet. Still, garlic is quite prevalent in this recipe, so you must love garlic to try it!

Now, I would be doing you an injustice if I didn’t highlight some of my other chicken recipes. All of these mimic the type you’d find at your favourite Chinese take-out restaurants. You have to try my Sweet Chili Chicken and my Lemon Chicken. And, don’t forget my Sesame Chicken or my Szechuan Popcorn Chicken.

WHICH CHOICE OF CHICKEN WORKS BEST?

For this Fried Garlic Chicken recipe, I would highly recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I love working with chicken thighs. No matter what cooking method I throw at them, they always come out tender and moist. I’m also a fan of dark meat. I think it’s more flavourful. So, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the way to go in my opinion.

You can certainly use breast meat for this recipe too. Because breast meat tends to cook faster than dark meat, you’ll want to ensure that the breast meat is cut into one-inch chunks. The breast meat can dry out rather quickly, especially if you’re planning to immerse it in hot oil. Using a larger piece of breast meat will ensure that it doesn’t become overdone and too dry. There’s nothing worse than dry breast meat!

Unlike chicken breast, you can cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into smaller pieces. They don’t have to be perfectly even. My rule of thumb is as follows: fry the thigh meat until golden brown. It’s really that simple.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. I’ve taken the liberty of breaking the ingredients down into sections so that this recipe is more manageable.

For the Chicken and Marinade:

• Chicken – For best results, use boneless skinless chicken thighs that have been cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Cornstarch – The cornstarch is the key to a light and crispy batter.
• Soy Sauce – Like I always say, use low-sodium soy sauce to prevent the dish from being too salty.
• Salt & Ground Black Pepper

For the Sauce Mixture:

• Soy Sauce – Yes, you will need more. Stick to the low-sodium type here too.
• Oyster Sauce – This sweet and salty sauce is popular in Asian dishes. You can substitute it with Worcestershire sauce if needed.
• Mirin – This is a type of rice wine. You can use white wine if you don’t have mirin.
• Sugar
• Vinegar – Use rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar.

Bringing the Meal Together:

• Oil – Use vegetable or peanut oil to fry the chicken.
• Garlic – You will need 12 cloves of garlic. Finely mince them all.
• Ginger – Use fresh ginger. I like to use a box grater to grate it so that it’s super fine.
• Green Onions – These add freshness and flavour to the dish.
• Onion – Use white, yellow, or sweet onion. Peel the onion, cut it in half and slice it cross-wise in 1/4-inch increments.
• Sesame Seeds – For best results, use toasted sesame seeds. The flavour is so much better!

HOW TO TOAST SESAME SEEDS

If you are not familiar with toasted sesame seeds, then please try it just once. You will probably never revert to using untoasted sesame seeds again! I have tried using non-stick frying pans for toasting, but nothing works as well as a stainless steel pan. You could use a cast iron pan, but since they get very hot and retain heat so well, it’s easier to burn the seeds.

See the frying pan in this picture? That’s the exact one that I use all the time. I’m not suggesting you run out and buy this same cookware set, but I wanted you to see the pan – remember, do not use non-stick if possible. You’ll get better results with plain stainless steel.

So, unlike most cooking where you’re required to preheat first, you don’t want to apply that same rule to toasting seeds. Add the seeds to a cold pan. Place the pan on the burner and turn the heat on – no higher than medium and probably even less if using a gas burner.

Keep the seeds moving about. I use a rubber spatula. Once you start to smell that warm and toasty aromatic smell, pay close attention. The seeds will take on a slightly golden colour. Don’t let them get too dark. Once you’re satisfied, immediately remove them from the hot pan and transfer them to a dinner plate where they can be spread out to cool.

HOW TO MAKE FRIED GARLIC CHICKEN

Step 1: Prepare the Cornstarch and Marinate the Chicken

The first thing you want to do is wash your cornstarch. Sounds weird, doesn’t it? Trust me on this – this will make your chicken super crispy. 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.

Step 2: Prepare the Sauce and Prep the Vegetables

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.

Step 3: Fry the Chicken

Carefully 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 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 you’re all ready to go and the oil is hot enough, it’s time to fry! Using tongs, lower the chicken 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.

Preparing the Sauce:

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.

OTTAWA VALLEY MEATS

The chicken you see in the photographs is from Ottawa Valley Meats. I used one package of skinless boneless chicken thighs, which is one pound. Sourced from local generational family farms that organically feed and raise White Rock chickens in a free-range environment. All their chicken products are air-chilled; this process significantly limits water content and ensures a superior taste and texture.

You can find a complete list at Ottawa Valley Meats. If you are in Ontario, be sure to take a look at the website. Ottawa Valley Meats offers seafood, beef, poultry, pork, etc. And, they deliver right to your door! The product comes in a freezer-refrigerated truck, which means the box doesn’t need to be stuffed with ice packs or dry ice. And, the food doesn’t need to be packaged into those silver cooler bags. Do you know what that means for me? Less waste! Give them a try – you won’t be disappointed!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

As you can see from the photographs, I served my Fried Garlic Chicken with rice and broccoli. I love it this way; just plain and simple so that the chicken is the star of my dinner. And, I love how the rice soaks up that sweet and sticky, gingery and garlicky sauce!

It is also really delicious with my Honey Soy Asparagus. The sweetness of the honey in the asparagus and the nuttiness of the black sesame seeds really pairs well with the chicken. I also have a copycat version of the Dainty Brand Beef Fried Rice that is a personal favourite of mine – just in case you don’t care much for plain white rice!

When it comes to sides to pair well with Fried Garlic Chicken, it is quite easy to come up with something, because just about everything works well with it. Just be sure to pair it with more muted sides, because it would be a shame to overshadow the flavour of that delicious chicken!