Crispy fried chicken (simplified Chinese: 炸子鸡; traditional Chinese: 炸子雞) is a standard dish in the Cantonese cuisine of southern China and Hong Kong.[1] The chicken is fried in such a way that the skin is extremely crunchy, but the white meat is relatively soft.[2] This is done by first poaching the chicken in water with spices (e.g. star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, Sichuan pepper, ginger, fennel, and scallions), drying it, coating with a syrup of vinegar and sugar, letting it dry thoroughly (which helps make the skin crispy) and deep-frying.[3]
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Course | Main dishes |
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Place of origin | China |
Region or state | Hong Kong, Guangdong |
Main ingredients | Chicken |
Crispy fried chicken | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 炸子雞 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 炸子鸡 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hanyu Pinyin | zhàzǐjī | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jyutping | zaa3zi2gai1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | fried chicken | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The dish is often served with two side dishes, a pepper salt (椒鹽) and prawn crackers (蝦片).[4] The pepper salt, colored dark white to gray, is dry-fried separately in a wok.[5] It is made of salt and Sichuan pepper.[3]
Traditionally this dish is eaten at night. It is also one of the traditional chicken dishes served at Chinese weddings and other Asian weddings.[2][6]
Chicken dishes | |
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Stews, braises and casseroles |
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Fried chicken |
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Roast and barbecue |
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Rice dishes |
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Pies and bread dishes | |
Salads |
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Chicken soup |
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List of chicken dishes |
Cantonese cuisine | |
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Main dishes |
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Dim sum and yum cha |
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Siu laap |
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Desserts and pastry |
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Condiments and spices |
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Ingredients |
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Others |
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