It is another Mom recipe! A subtly crisp coating on boneless chicken infused with ginger flavour. This is a crowd pleaser for sure!
Basically it is a grown up chicken nugget! Which, in retrospect, is probably why I loved this so much when Mom made it when we were kids!
An Easy One Pot Weeknight Chicken Dinner
My mom would make this quite regularly when we were kids. The batter is actually quite simple to make. No fussy dipping stations for these nuggets. Just a dump and go recipe. It’s not quite Pakistani, not quite Chinese. To be honest, I am not quite sure where the recipe comes from. But we grew up eating spring chicken just like this so I had to give it a permanent home on the blog!
Ideally if you have a bit of time, marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes, but if you don’t have the time you can just make the batter right away and cook immediately. So this can easily be made in about 30 minutes! Making it perfect for a weeknight meal. The cooked chicken is really great the next day too. It can be reheated in a pan or in the air fryer to help revive the crispy coating on the outside. So it is also great for meal prep, a weeknight dinner or to make ahead for a party!
Just make sure to cook at test piece of chicken before frying the whole batch so you can adjust for salt and spice to your liking.
Mom normally served this quite simply with some rice. Or as a side with daal and rice. I like it served simply with some grilled veg like these garlicky parm asparagus and some ketchup on the side for dipping!
Gingery Spring Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken (thigh is more flavourful, breast is leaner) cut into large 2 inch nuggets
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
Batter
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (or arrowroot powder for paleo or whole30 option)
- 3 large eggs
- salt ,as needed
- oil, for frying
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger cut into thin matchsticks
- 2 green chillies sliced lengthwise
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the marinade ingredients together so the chicken is well coated. Set aside for at least 20-30 minutes.
- Heat a large frying pan with a tight fitting lid with enough oil to coat the bottom.
- While the pan heats, to the chicken mixture add the eggs and cornstarch or arrowroot powder and mix so the chicken is well coated. You want it to be a very thick batter consistency. You may need a splash of water to help get the batter to mix well.
- Cook a test piece of chicken- Pan fry a small piece till golden brown all over and cooked through. Allow to cool slightly and taste. Adjust the flavour of the batter for salt and spice to your liking.
- Pan fry the remaining chicken in a single layer in the heated frying pan. Making sure not to overcrowd the pan. You may need to cook in two batches. Cook on one side for 3-4 minutes and then flip and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown all over and cooked through. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
- Once the chicken is all cooked. Using the same pan, discard any remaining oil in the bottom of the pan. Add the ginger pieces and green chillies. Top with all of the cooked chicken pieces. Cover and turn heat down to low. Cook for at least 5 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse the chicken.
- Serve immediately with grilled veggies or rice. This chicken is really good with a creamy white sauce like bechamel or ranch dressing.
