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Crispy Scallion Ginger Chicken

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: chicken thighs, fresh ginger, gluten free, ground white pepper, kosher salt, neutral oil, scallions, sesame oil, sichuan peppercorn powder
Servings: 4 people
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Equipment

  • Splatter Screen

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken thighs boneless, skin-on and trimmed of excess skin and fat
  • 12 scallions ends and roots trimmed, cut into rounds, approximately 3/4 cup
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper Black pepper can used
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder I used Aleppo pepper as a substitute. A combination of black pepper and ground coriander is another good substitute
  • 3/4 cups neutral oil such as avocado, vegetable, or canola

Instructions

  • Season chicken thighs all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Place thighs skin-side down in a COLD nonstick or cast iron large pan. For the crispiest skin, you don't want to crowd the pan so you may need to cook the chicken in two batches. Turn heat to medium. As the chicken cooks there will be some splatter so I recommend using a splatter screen and turning on the fan to limit the splatter mess.
  • Cook chicken for 15-20 minutes until skin is golden brown and super crispy. Then turn chicken pieces over and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes. Total cooking time is 18-25 minutes, depending on the size of the thighs you are cooking.
  • While the chicken is cooking, place the scallions, ginger, sesame oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ground white pepper, and Sichuan peppercorn powder in a bowl. Then place the oil in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat for 7-8 minutes until shimmering or 350 degrees. Carefully pour hot oil over the scallion mixture. It will bubble.
  • Remove chicken from the pan, allow to cool slightly and then slice each thigh crosswise into 5-6 strips. (If you prefer, you can also keep the thighs whole. Either way works!)
  • Transfer chicken to a large platter and spoon scallion ginger oil over the chicken. Serve any remaining oil in a dipping bowl on the side.

Notes

If you'd prefer to air fry the chicken, set the temperature to 400 degrees and place chicken skin-side down in the basket (or on the tray) and cook until skin has crisped which is approximately 10 minutes and then flip the chicken over (now skin-side up) and air fry for another 10 minutes. Total cook time is approximately 20 minutes. I have not tried this method for this recipe so air fry times are a guesstimate.
This recipe can easily be halved. I would make the same amount of the scallion ginger oil, though, and use it on fried eggs, crispy tofu and/or cooked fish filets.
Sichuan peppercorn powder can be ordered online through amazon.