Crispy Shredded Chicken

Strips of chicken thigh in a cornflour-heavy batter, fried twice so the coating stays crisp under the sauce. The glaze is a quick sweet, sour and gently spicy syrup built in the wok, tossed through at the last second so every piece stays crunchy. Serve straight away with rice and a scatter of spring onion.

This is the one that arrives in a foil tray and never survives the journey to a plate. The takeaway version works because the chicken is fried twice and sauced at the very last moment, so the coating shatters instead of sagging. Cut the chicken into proper strips, keep the batter light and the glaze reduced, and you will get it exactly right.

Ingredients

• 600g boneless skinless chicken thighs — cut into finger-width strips; breast works but dries faster
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine — dry sherry is a near-perfect supermarket swap
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper — black pepper works but is less authentic
• 1 medium egg — beaten
• 90g cornflour — plus 2 tbsp extra for the final dredge
• 60g plain flour
• 1.5 litres sunflower or groundnut oil — for frying
• 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar — or cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1-2 tbsp sriracha or chilli garlic sauce — to taste
• 3 cloves garlic — finely grated
• 15g fresh root ginger — finely grated
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil — plus sesame seeds and 3 sliced spring onions to finish

Method

1. Toss the chicken strips with the Shaoxing wine, light soy and white pepper. Leave for 10 minutes while you get everything else ready — this dish moves fast once the oil is hot.
2. Mix the ketchup, rice vinegar, sugar, dark soy and sriracha in a small bowl with 3 tbsp cold water. Keep the grated garlic and ginger separate, right by the hob.
3. Add the beaten egg to the marinated chicken and stir, then add the 90g cornflour and the plain flour. Work it with your fingers until every strip wears a thick, craggy, slightly shaggy coating — those rough edges are what crisp up. Scatter over the extra 2 tbsp cornflour and toss again so nothing is sticky.
4. Pour the oil into a large deep pan no more than a third full and heat to 170°C. A cube of bread should turn golden in about 45 seconds, and a dropped scrap of batter should sizzle briskly and float within 2 seconds. Read our notes on safe frying at /guides/how-to-deep-fry-safely-at-home/ before you start.
5. Fry in 3 or 4 batches, dropping the strips in one at a time so they do not clump. Give each batch 3-4 minutes until pale gold and cooked through with no pink in the middle. Lift onto a wire rack set over a tray — never kitchen paper, which steams the underside soft.
6. Raise the oil to 190°C. Return the chicken in batches for a second fry of 60-90 seconds until deep golden and audibly crisp. Back onto the rack it goes.
7. Set a wok or wide frying pan over a high heat with 1 tbsp of oil. Fry the garlic and ginger for 20 seconds until fragrant but not browned, then pour in the sauce mixture. Bubble hard for 1-2 minutes until it thickens to a glossy syrup that coats the back of a spoon.
8. Kill the heat, stir in the sesame oil, then tip in the chicken and toss for no more than 15 seconds — just enough to lacquer every piece. Serve immediately, piping hot, showered with spring onion and sesame seeds.

Serve it with

• Steamed jasmine rice
• Egg fried rice with peas and spring onion
• Quick stir-fried pak choi with garlic
• Prawn crackers
• Cucumber ribbons in rice vinegar to cut the sweetness

Why this works

The takeaway trick is two fries and a reduced sauce. The first fry at 170°C cooks the chicken through and sets the crust; the second at 190°C drives off surface moisture so the coating goes glassy. Because the glaze is boiled down to a syrup before the chicken meets it, there is no loose liquid left to soak in.

Common swaps

• No Shaoxing wine? Dry sherry is the closest match; medium-dry white wine or a splash of apple juice will do at a push.
• Chicken breast instead of thigh: cut slightly thicker and drop the first fry to 3 minutes so it stays juicy.
• Swap sriracha for 1 tbsp chilli bean paste (doubanjiang) for a deeper, savoury heat.
• For a lighter version, coat and bake at 220°C on an oiled rack for 20-25 minutes, turning once, then toss in the glaze.
• Firm tofu or oyster mushrooms take the same batter and glaze beautifully.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Crowding the pan. Too much chicken at once drops the oil temperature and the coating turns greasy rather than crisp — fry in small batches and let the oil recover between them.
• Skipping the second fry. One fry gives you a coating that softens within minutes; the 190C blast is what makes it stay crunchy under sauce.
• Draining on kitchen paper. Trapped steam softens the base of every piece. Use a wire rack over a tray.
• Saucing too early or with a thin glaze. Reduce it to a syrup, toss for seconds, and get it to the table straight away.

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Best eaten immediately. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days, though the coating will soften.

Freezing: Freeze the twice-fried, unsauced chicken in a single layer for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen and glaze fresh.

Reheating: Spread on a wire rack over a baking tray and reheat at 200°C for 8-10 minutes (12-14 from frozen) until piping hot and crisp again. An air fryer at 200°C for 5-6 minutes works just as well. Avoid the microwave, which turns the coating to cardboard.

Allergen notes: contains Gluten, Egg, Soya, Sesame, Sulphites. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.