Spicy Jalapeño Chicken
Ingredients
- 2-pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (see notes below)
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large jalapeños , cut into ¼-inch slices
Instructions
- Place the prepared chicken into a bowl with the salt and ground black pepper; toss to coat well.
- Add the cornstarch and toss until all of the chicken is well coated; set aside until ready to fry the chicken.
- In a separate, smaller bowl, add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and garlic; whisk well to combine; set aside.
- Slice the jalapeños into 1/4-inch slices; for a milder taste, remove the seeds from the slices; for a nice kick, leave them in; set those aside until ready to use.
- Add four inches of vegetable oil to a heavy bottomed pot; turn on the heat and heat the oil to 315°F.
- Once the oil is hot, using tongs, lower the chicken into the oil, one piece at a time; do not overcrowd the pot.
- The chicken fries really quickly; it only needs about 5 to 6 minutes, turning at the halfway mark.
- Once all of the chicken is fried, increase the heat of the oil to 350°F.
- Carefully place all of the chicken back into the oil; this is the second fry and it will add further crisp to the chicken; this process only needs another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove from the oil and drain well on a wire rack.
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add the sauce mixture and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add all of the fried chicken and the sliced jalapenos.
- Toss the chicken well into the sauce and jalapeño mixture.
- Continue to move the chicken around the skillet until the sauce has thickened and the water content has evaporated.
- Once done, remove from the heat, transfer to a plate and garnish.
Notes
For best results, use boneless skinless chicken thighs; lay the chicken flat.
You will note that there are thinner sections where the bone was removed; slice the thigh meat in those sections.
Each thigh should render three pieces of chicken.