Cantonese-style crispy fried chicken tacos with smashed cucumber

Name: Cantonese-style crispy fried chicken tacos with smashed cucumber
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 500g of boneless chicken thighs; 600ml of water; 30ml of light soy sauce; 60ml of Shaoxing wine; 90ml of Chinese red vinegar; 40g of brown sugar; 1/2 cinnamon stick; 1 star anise; 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns; 1 inch piece ginger; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 1 tbsp of Doves Farm Organic Cornflour, mixed with water to make a paste; 1/2 cucumber; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns; 1/4 tsp chilli flakes; 1 tbsp of sesame seeds; 1 tbsp of rice wine vinegar; 1 tbsp of light soy sauce; 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil; vegetable oil, for deep frying; 8 corn tortillas; 1 handful of coriander

by GBC Kitchen

Item 1 of 1

Main
easy
4
50 minutes

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This delicious dish is based on Cantonese fried chicken, in which chicken is poached in an aromatic broth, coated in a sticky glaze and deep-fried to crispy perfection. Here, Pollyanna serves the chicken in a taco with refreshing smacked cucumber.

First published in 2018

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Ingredients

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Imperial

Aromatic poaching stock

500g of boneless chicken thighs
600ml of water
30ml of light soy sauce
60ml of Shaoxing wine
90ml of Chinese red vinegar
40g of brown sugar
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
1 inch piece ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp of Doves Farm Organic Cornflour, mixed with water to make a paste

Smacked cucumber

1/2 cucumber
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp of sesame seeds
1 tbsp of rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp of sesame oil

To serve

vegetable oil, for deep frying
8 corn tortillas
1 handful of coriander

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Equipment

Deep fat fryer

Method

To begin, prepare the chicken thighs by cutting each into 3 pieces

500g of boneless chicken thighs

Place all ingredients for the poaching stock (apart from the cornflour) in a pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Turn down to a simmer, add the chicken and gently poach for 10–12 minutes

1 garlic clove, crushed
600ml of water
30ml of light soy sauce
60ml of Shaoxing wine
90ml of Chinese red vinegar
40g of brown sugar
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
1 inch piece ginger
Doves Farm Organic Cornflour

Remove the chicken and set aside. Turn up the heat and reduce the poaching liquor to a syrup. Once you get to single cream consistency, add the cornflour paste to thicken to a glossy glaze

Brush the chicken with some of the glaze then leave to air-dry

Preheat a deep-fryer or deep pan of oil to 180°C

vegetable oil, for deep frying

Smash the cucumber with the bottom of a pan or the side of a large, heavy knife. Dice into 1cm cubes, place in a colander and sprinkle over the salt. Gently mix then set aside in the fridge for 10 minutes

1/2 cucumber
1/2 tsp salt

In the meantime, toast the sichuan pepper and chilli flakes in a hot dry pan until fragrant. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush to a course powder. Toast the sesame seeds then mix with the crushed spices. Combine the spices with the cucumber along with the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil

1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
1 tbsp of sesame seeds

Deep-fry the chicken pieces until golden brown, then brush with more of the glaze

To assemble the tacos, brush the centre of each tortilla with some of the glaze. Add some small sprigs of coriander then top with the chicken pieces and some smashed cucumber

1 handful of coriander
8 corn tortillas

First published in 2018

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GBC Kitchen

GBC Kitchen is where you'll find accessible, inspiring recipes with a twist, from our in-house team of recipe developers. Perfect for mid-week meals or special occasions alike, GBC Kitchen recipes will help you become a more confident cook, and impress those around you in the meantime! Don't forget to check out our brand new How to Cook guide every month, which focuses on a specific ingredient and ways to use it, alongside four brand new recipes.

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