Amit Bangar is the Executive Chef at the Calcutta Cricket Club in Calgary. He was kind enough to send us this week’s recipe for their delicious Chili Chicken dish. Try this at home!
Ingredients
-1tbsp cornstarch
-160g brown sugar
-2tbsp Maggi hot & sweet ketchup
-160ml soy sauce
-1pc cinnamon sticks
-1.5tsp toasted sesame, extra for garnish
-2pc star anise
-160ml vinegar
-1 inch ginger, finely chopped
-20g onion, sliced
-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
-2 thai chillies, finely sliced
-1 small bell pepper, sliced
-1 green onion, finely sliced for garnish
-8pc chicken thigh, cut into quarters
-Buttermilk (enough to fully cover chicken)
-½cup Cornstarch
-1cup Flour
-Oil for frying
Directions
1. Begin with marinating the chicken thighs in buttermilk for at least 2 hours, making sure they are evenly mixed together. This not only helps make the chicken juicy and tender, but also allows the flour to cling on to the chicken. The pieces should all be the same size, so they cook evenly.
2. To start the sauce, add the sliced onion in a lightly oiled pan with the minced ginger and garlic. Cook at medium high heat, constantly stirring to lightly brown. If you notice any sticking, just add a splash of water to the pan while scraping the bottom of the pan to release.
3. Add finely sliced chillies, anise and cinnamon to the pan along with toasted sesame. Cook out for 2 minutes on medium heat.
4. Add brown sugar, maggi sauce and soy sauce to the pan and cook until the brown sugar is fully dissolved.
5. In a small bowl, mix together corn starch and vinegar into a slurry. Add a little of the cooked chili sauce to the slurry, mix together, then add it all back to the chilli sauce, mixing well to incorporate.
6. Turn the heat to high, bringing the chili sauce to a quick boil. At this point, the starch should have thickened the sauce, so turn off the heat immediately after. If you find that you have reduced the sauce too much, add a splash of water.
7. Bring a small pot of frying oil up to a medium heat.
8. Mix together all purpose flour with corn starch
9. Pull out brined chicken thighs, shake off excess buttermilk, and toss in the flour mix, evenly coating each piece.
10. When the oil is at temperature, drop the chicken pieces in- keep in mind to make sure the oil isn’t too hot, or else the outer coating will burn, yet still be raw on the inside. If you have a thermometer, the oil should sit around 365°F.
11. When the chicken is cooked through and is golden brown and crispy on the outside, place the pieces of chicken on a plate lined with paper towel to drain off the excess oil.
12. Have the pan of chili sauce at a medium heat, add sliced bell peppers, and as many thai chillies as you wish.
13. When the sauce is hot, add in fried chicken pieces, and toss to coat them with the sauce.
14. After plating, add sliced green onion, as well as a sprinkle of sesame.