Pan-fried Crispy Chicken


Even though I always proudly tell my friends that I eat anything and everything, but I can be quite picky when it comes to noodles. I only choose to eat noodles that are thin, like beehoon, mee sua, wonton noodle, soba, ramen and spaghettini. Anything thicker than that falls into I-shall-avoid-them-at-all-cost category. Of all the thick noodles out there, the one that I dislike the most is yellow noodle, partly due to its texture but the main reason that really turn me off is the taste of alkali water.

However, I happened to try out yellow noodle in Taiwan recently and I'm surprised that I like it! The local version is thinner and springier than the ones sold in Malaysia and Singapore, and the best part is, the taste of the alkali water is not detectable at all. Since the start of summer, I've been buying yellow noodle from the wet market very often and make cold noodle (涼麵) for lunch. There are a few sauces that I often used in my cold noodle dishes and my favourite has to be the one that is made of thick soy sauce (醬油膏), sugar, water and mashed garlic. It is not visible in the picture above but the noodle had been tossed in this sauce. Topped with some shredded carrots and cucumber and it is the dish that I have for 3-4 times a week.

I cooked cold noodle again today but since hubby is at home for lunch, I prepared another dish to go with the noodle. I learnt this pan-fried crispy chicken dish from TV some time back and I've been cooking it regularly ever since. This dish is really yummy because the chicken is really crispy on the outside but the inside is still moist and juicy, which is made possible by covering the pan while cooking. As explained by the chef of the TV programme, the steam generated in the covered pan will retain the moisture and to make the outside crispy, only remove the cover when the chicken is almost cooked, and then pan-fried both sides until golden brown. I find that this method of making cripsy chicken pieces is healthier as less oil is used and it is much easier than deep-frying too!

Pan-fried Crispy Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:
1 large piece of chicken thigh
1 red chilli, chopped
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 stalks coriander, chopped
1/3 teaspoon salt
Black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Method:
1) Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Heat up oil in a frying pan.
2) Place the thigh skin down onto the pan, let it fry for about 1 minute. Using a tong or a pair of chopsticks, flip the thigh over and continue to cook for another minute.
3) Cover the pan, let the thigh cook in low-medium heat for 5 minutes.
4) Remove the cover, flip the thigh with the skin down and cook until it turns golden brown. Again, flip the thigh up and then move it to the side of the pan.
5) At the other side of the pan, saute garlic, chilli and spring onion until fragrant. Add soy sauce and coriander, make a few quick stirs and then turn off the heat.
6) Remove the thigh from the pan, cut into a few pieces. Spoon the sauteed spring onion mixture on top, serve hot.

Comments

grub said…
yum this looks good :D i prefer the yellow noodles where i live compared to Malaysia's yellow noodle too because of taste and texture. when i was in Taiwan i only tried the sesame cold noodle and was not accustomed to it at all :/ might give your recipe a try though :D

the pan fry / steam technique can be applied when cooking dumplings as well
Kitchen Corner said…
I'm quite picky when choosing noodles for myself and definitely will not choose yellow noodle too!Because I don't like the texture and the taste of alkali water as you. I agree with you, Taiwan have good quality of yellow noodle, I love it too!
boo_licious said…
We don't really get the Taiwan noodles here but I've tried the Taiwanese instant noodles and love the springy whirly texture. The chicken recipe sounds easy to create so I'll give it a try.
I bet that chicken is moist! A delicious dish.

Cheers,

Rosa
dimsumdolly said…
I'm like you when it comes to noodles. I hate the yellow noodles too! I also don't like udon 'cos it's so fat.
Bakericious said…
I dun like yellow noodle but I do agree that taiwan noodle is good :)
mycookinghut said…
Looks like a great dish!!!
Bits said…
This looks and sounds good! Should give it a try~!
Bunny gal said…
Looks yummy as usual :)

Will def try the chicken and let you noe!!
Stardust said…
Hey,we have one similarity again! I can't stand thick noodles too -like ban mian, udon or anything thick and floury. Yucks. But I quite like the yellow mee. =P

I do the crispy chicken too from time to time, it's healthier than deep fried stuff. Still, I'm thinking of trying yours. Heheh!

Catch you later yah!
Piggy said…
Grub town - Oh, so the yellow noodle in Australia tastes better than the one in Malaysia too! Let me know if you want the recipe of the cold noodle sauce, I will send it to you. :-)

Kitchen Corner - ah, so you've tasted Taiwanese yellow noodle, it just tastes better, right?

Boo_licious - I love Taiwanese instant noodles too, the texture of the noodle is really different.

Rosa - Thanks! :-)

Dimsumdolly - High five! I don't like udon too!

Jess@Bakericious - yay! found another kaki who also dislike yellow noodle!

Mycookinghut - Thanks! :-)

Bits of Taste - Give the recipe a try, it's yummy!

Bunny gal - heehee... you can try it out when you move into your new place. ;-)

Stardust - haha! I also don't like ban mian and udon, the texture is not right for me.
Audrey Wong said…
Wow that looks really yummy. May I know how much oil did you use since you said this is healthier? I want to try making the chicken :)

I didn't like Malaysia nor Singapore's yellow noodles too. They just tasted too weird unless it's mee goreng mamak style.
Piggy said…
Audrey Wong - Thanks for dropping by! I only used about 2 tablespoons (or less) of oil. :-)
Pei-Lin said…
Hey, Grace! Yea, you told me before you don't like 黃麵/鹼水麵 ... I don't like the noodle either. Haven't tried the one from Taiwan. If that's what you think of it, I might like the Taiwanese one.

Thank you so much for the tips on getting crispy pan-fried chicken! I don't quite like the idea of deep frying, though, I still do that once a blue moon. Thank you. =)
I am not a fan of yellow noodles usually either but my mom has found some in Malaysia that taste good, thanks for the tip on getting the chicken crispy yet tender inside :)

your noodles with chicken look so tempting!