Name: Crispy Thread Chicken
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250 g Boneless Chicken Breast, cut into long, thin strips; 6 Spring Roll Wrappers, cut into very fine noodles/threads; 1 tbsp Soy Sauce; 1 tbsp Red Chilli Sauce; 1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper; 2 tbsp Cornstarch, for binding; 1 Egg, beaten; ½ tsp Salt, to taste; 400 ml Cooking Oil, for deep frying

50 mintotal

35 min hands-on15 min hands-off

Prep 25 min · Cook 10 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Hard
Spice: Medium

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Method

In a mixing bowl, combine the thin chicken strips with soy sauce, red chilli sauce, ginger garlic paste, black pepper powder, and salt. Mix well.
Add the beaten egg and cornstarch to the marinated chicken. Stir until the chicken strips are coated in a thick, sticky batter. Let it marinate for 10 minutes.
10 min
Take a handful of the finely sliced spring roll threads and spread them on a flat plate. Dust them lightly with a pinch of cornstarch to keep them separated.
Take a single batter-coated chicken strip and lay it over the pastry threads. Roll the chicken gently so the threads adhere to it completely, wrapping around the meat like a bird's nest.
Press the threads lightly with your hands to secure them. Repeat for all chicken strips.
Heat the cooking oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Do not let the oil get too hot, or the threads will burn before the chicken cooks.
Carefully drop the threaded chicken pieces into the oil in small batches. Fry for 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally, until the pastry threads are golden and ultra-crispy.
4–5 min
Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil and serve hot.

How to tell it's done

An explosive, dramatic crunch from the fried pastry threads, yielding to tender, savory, umami-rich chicken strips inside.

Getting it right

Tip

If you cannot find spring roll wrappers, you can substitute them with store-bought raw Hakka noodles broken into smaller pieces, or finely julienned phyllo dough.

What to serve it with

Serve piled high on a platter with a sweet chilli dipping sauce or hot garlic sauce on the side.

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