The best Super Crispy Chicken Ever!
Everybody likes juicy and super crispy chicken. With this recipe, I will show you how to get perfect results like in a professional restaurant.
Not only are the fried crispy chicken pieces very savory and juicy, but they are also extremely crunchy and less fatty. And most importantly, they stay crunchy and crispy forever, not just the moment you fried them.
To find out how to make this super crispy chicken, follow my recipe and learn about all the important secrets behind it to get the perfect result.
The most important Secrets for a Super Crispy Chicken
- For a super crispy chicken, it is necessary to mix wheat flour with corn starch for coating. The higher content of amylose in a batter will help in moisture loss and reduce oil uptake in the fried product. The result is a more crispy and less fatty crispy chicken, which I think everybody wants. Cornstarch contains a higher amount of amylose than wheat or potato starch, that’s why cornstarch works the best for making crispy coatings on fried foods.
- A stable and exact temperature of the oil while frying is crucial. If you can, use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil. The best temperature for frying is 160 ºC (320 ºF). Don’t add too much chicken at once into the oil, so the temperature doesn’t fall too abruptly.
- When you take the fried crispy chicken pieces out of the oil, don’t let them rest directly on paper, as it will create humidity and make the coating soggy. Put the fried crispy chicken on an oven grid, with paper underneath. If you are not going to eat the crispy chicken right away, keep it on a grid in an oven with the heat on 100 ºC (212 ºF) and the door ajar.
- Therefore the crispy chicken is not only crispy but also juicy inside you have to treat the chicken pieces before you put them into the batter. The best way to do that is to marinate the chicken pieces before. In this recipe, we marinate the chicken in yogurt together with the seasoning. This lactic acid inside the yogurt doesn’t only help to keep the crispy chicken juicer inside when frying, but also tenderizes the meat, resulting in softer chicken meat.
For more details, you can see the complete recipe for the crispy chicken with an easy step-by-step guide for the whole process.
What is a Bao and where does it come from
Nowadays famous in all parts of the world, the Bao originates from the Fujian Province in China. The Taiwanese version, the so-called “Gua Bao” a steamed bun with a pork belly, was made famous by the acclaimed Chef David Chang, serving them in his restaurant Momofuko in New York.
The title of this recipe is not entirely correct, as the word “Bao” essentially means “Bun” in Chinese, so “Bao Bun” would actually mean “Bun Bun” but for better common understanding, I kept it the same way.
In traditional Chinese Cuisine exist a lot of different steamed dumplings and buns, like the famous “Baozi” for example, a steamed round dumpling with a savory filling.
The Bao Bun, like the Taiwanese street food version, is usually rolled out and then flipped over and steamed. As a sandwich, it can then be opened up and filled with ingredients to your liking.
In this recipe, I will show you how to give your Bao different forms, like a sandwich or more like a burger. Afterward, you can choose for yourself the most fitting or comfortable way to make your Bao.
Different Fillings of the Bao Bun
In this recipe, we are making a Bao Bun with the super crispy chicken inside. The combination of the fluffiness of the soft steamed Bao Buns with the crunchiness of the crispy chicken is amazing. You can only make the crispy chicken recipe on its own, but I highly recommend you to try out this epic sandwich.
There is an endless variety of fillings for Baos and, you can be creative and use this soft steamed bread for everything you like.
One of the most famous versions is the “Gua Bao” filled with a cooked pork belly, pickled mustard greens, ground peanuts, and coriander. But there exist different versions with a variety of fillings famous in China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan. It can be served with fish, eggs, stewed meat, fried crispy chicken, or even vegetables or tofu.
A tasty homemade Gochujang Mayo to make the Bao complete
To make this sandwich perfect, we can’t forget a great sauce. Every epic sandwich needs a sauce to hold all the ingredients together. Because we wanted to make an Asian Style Bao with super crispy chicken, we decided to go for a Gochujang Mayo.
Gochujang is a fundamental ingredient in Korean Cooking and one of our favorite Asian Condiments to bring some spiciness and flavor. Gochujang condiment is a thick sweet, and spicy paste made from peppers, glutinous (sticky) rice, fermented soybeans, and aromatics (like garlic, onions, and sesame). Because it is a fermented product, the paste has a rich umami flavor with a nice balanced sweetness.
In this recipe, we make homemade mayonnaise with this flavorful Korean paste. The whole process is a matter of seconds to create this mayonnaise.
The Form of the Bao
Like said before, the classic Bao Buns are rolled out flat in a semi-circular form and then flipped over.
To achieve this form, you have two options. You can either form each bun by hand with a rolling pin or roll out the dough and cut the buns with a ring mold.
To form each bun by hand, you first have to divide the fully risen dough into separate equal portions (I suggest about 50g-60g each). Cover the dough balls with a damp kitchen towel while separating the dough. With a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball into an oval flat form (about 10cm long and 7cm wide, and about 1cm thick). Before folding them over, pass some oil with a brush so they don’t stick together in the middle.
To cut the buns with a ring mold, you first have to roll out the whole dough to about 1cm thickness. Then pass some oil on the surface of the dough. Now use a ring mold (about 8cm) to cut out rounds from the dough. Put the rest of the dough together and re-roll the dough until you have used up everything.
Or you just opt for a burger bun-like form, which I personally find the most attractive and practical way. For this, you just divide the dough with a kitchen scale into equal portions (I suggest about 60g) and cover the dough balls with a damp kitchen towel. Put a little oil on your hands so the dough doesn’t stick. Now with little pressure form balls by rolling the dough on the work surface. After they have risen again and been cooked, you just cut them in the middle like a burger bun.
How to make Bao in a Bamboo Steamer
In a lot of Asian Grocery stores, you can find Bamboo Steamers in all kinds of sizes for a small price. They also last very long if you use them the correct way. It is important that you buy a Bamboo Steamer the same size as the pan you want to use for steaming.
Fill the saucepan about one-third full with water. When the water is boiling, place the Steamer on top and turn the heat on medium.
Place the bao buns with the parchment paper in the steamer basket, giving them some room to rise and expand upon cooking. Put the lid on the top steamer basket and steam for about 10 minutes.
How to make Bao in a Steam Oven
If you have a combi-steam oven at home or in your restaurant, you can easily make the Baos in greater quantity, and the process is quite simple.
First of all, you can do the proving in your oven if you want. Just set the temperature of the oven to 32 ºC (90 ºF). That is the perfect temperature for yeast growth. From there, you can raise the temperature until 40 ºC (104 ºF), but not over 46 ºC (114 ºF), because that is the point where you start killing the yeast bacteria.
For the first proof, put the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic film and proof the dough for about one hour or until doubled in size at 32 ºC (90 ºF).
After you shaped the buns already, you can put them for the second proof in the oven on a perforated tray with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Proof the shaped bao buns at 32 ºC (90 ºF) for about 30 minutes or until the buns have puffed up slightly.
To steam the Baos in the oven, remove the tray of bao buns from the oven. Turn on the steam and increase the temperature to 100 ºC (212 ºF). Once the steam oven has come to temperature, place the tray of bao buns back inside and steam them for 10 minutes.
Can you freeze Bao?
Even though these Buns are best, when you prepare them fresh, you can definitely freeze Bao Buns. After you made the dough, leave it proof until it doubles de size. Divide the dough and weigh out the equal portions. Bring the Buns in the desired form like you would do always.
Now instead of leaving the shaped Baos to proof for a second time, just put them into the freezer. You can keep them in the freezer inside plastic bags for until 4 weeks. Although theoretically, you can keep them longer I would not advise you to, because the yeast will start dying after a while in the freezer and the results will not be the same.
When you want to use the frozen Baos, just leave them to defrost, and then just continue in the process where you stopped before freezing them. Leave the unfrozen Buns to proof for about 30 minutes, until they have puffed up, and then steam them.
To make the Bao Buns, see the separate recipe for the steamed Bao Buns!
Super Crispy Chicken Bao Bun Recipe
Equipment
- pot for deep-frying
- kitchen thermometer (for frying)
- hand blender / immersion blender
- fine sieve
Ingredients
For the Bao see the recipe "How to make perfect steamed Bao Buns"
- 300 g chicken breast
The chicken marinade
- 300 g natural yogurt
- 4 g salt 1 teaspoon
- 1 g ajinomoto glutamate optional
- 1 g black pepper freshly ground
- 2 g dried garlic powder
- 3 g dried onion powder
- 3 g paprika powder
- 1 g cayenne pepper powder
- 1 g dried oregano
To bread the chicken
- 200 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g corn starch
- 5 g baking powder
- 4 g salt
- 4 g paprika powder
- 2 g dried garlic powder
For frying
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 l sunflower seed oil or frying oil
For the Gochujang Mayo
- 1 whole egg
- 20 g rice wine vinegar
- 20 g Gochujang paste
- 2 g salt
- 200 g sunflower seed oil
For the crunchy salad
- 200 g red cabbage
- 1 g salt
- 10 g sesame oil
- 20 g rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 red onion
- some cilantro
Instructions
For the crunchy salad
- With a mandoline or a sharp knife, cut the red cabbage in small stripes. Season with salt, vinegar, and sesame oil, and rub everything in the cabbage until it starts to create a liquid. Just before using the salad, add red onions in julienne cut with a mandoline or a sharp knife. Finish the salad with some cilantro leaves and chopped cilantro stems if you like.
For the Gochujang Mayo
- Put the egg and the seasonings in a high mixing cup and add the oil on top. Place the blade of the hand blender on the bottom of the cup and switch it on. Now slowly pull up the blender until everything forms a mayonnaise. This is a much easier and quicker way to make perfect mayonnaise than slowly adding the oil.
- Keep the mayonnaise in the fridge until serving.
To marinate the super Crispy chicken
- In a bowl, add the yogurt and all the spices for the chicken marinade, and mix well. Separate 200g of the mixture and keep it in the fridge. Use the rest to marinate the chicken.
- Cut the chicken breast in stripes against the grain (muscle fibers) like this the meat will keep more tender. Marinate the chicken in a bowl with the rest of the marinade (the smaller amount). Cover and let the marinated chicken rest in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight.
For the breading of the super Crispy chicken
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour with all the dry ingredients to bread the chicken. Pass everything through a fine sieve to mix well.
- Take out the yogurt mixture from the fridge (the 200g), which we separated in step 1. Add the two egg yolks and mix everything well.
- Meanwhile, fill a large pot with oil for frying and bring it to 160ºC (320ºF). This is the perfect temperature to fry the chicken.
- Now for the important part of the breading. Work in patches and don't bread all the chicken at once. For this the sequence is: marinated chicken in flour mixture, then in yogurt with egg, then flour mixture again. (Details in the next steps)
- So take the chicken one by one out of the marinade and pass it through the flour mixture. Make sure that the chicken pieces get totally covered in the flour mixture.
- Next, pass the floured chicken through the yogurt mixture with the egg yolk. And now finally again in the flour mixture before frying.
- The easiest way is to work with your hands. Little Tip: To avoid getting your hands breaded too, work with one hand in the dry ingredients while the other hand passes through the yogurt mix. Press the chicken a little bit into the flour mixture, so it sticks better and gets a perfect crust.
Deep-Frying the super Crispy Chicken
- To keep the chicken hot after frying turn your oven on 100ºC (212ºF). Prepare an oven grill with some paper underneath for the fried chicken.
- Like mentioned before, the perfect temperature to fry the chicken and get it super crispy is 160ºC (320ºC). The best way is to use a kitchen thermometer to get to the perfect temperature.
- To avoid that the oil temperature doesn't fall too much, don't put all the breaded chicken in the hot oil at once, but in small patches.
- Once the chicken pieces are nice golden colored and crispy, take them from the oil and put them on the oven grill, with paper underneath. If you place the chicken pieces directly on the paper, it will create humidity and get the crust a little bit soggy.
To build the Bao with super Crispy Chicken
- Open the Bao and spread some of the Gochujang mayonnaise. Put in some super crispy chicken pieces and top with the salad. Done, enjoy!!
