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Salt & Pepper Chicken.

The takeaway classic — and the whole trick is one shake of Emperor’s Dust.

Crispy salt and pepper chicken
Serves 430 minEasy

Salt-and-pepper chicken isn’t about the salt or the pepper. It’s the warm, aromatic five-spice hiding underneath — the note that makes you order it every single time. That’s Emperor’s Dust. Crispy chicken, a fried chilli-and-onion tumble, and a shower of the good dust.

Made with Emperor's Dust →

Ingredients

The chicken

  • 600g boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 tsp Emperor's Dust
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 tsp ginger, grated
  • ½ tsp white pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ¾ cup potato starch (or cornflour), to coat
  • Neutral oil, for shallow- or air-frying

The salt & pepper dust

  • 1 tsp Emperor's Dust
  • ½ tsp fine salt
  • ½ tsp white pepper
  • Pinch of sugar

The tumble

  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 red chilli, sliced
  • ½ small onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 spring onions, sliced

Method

1

Marinate. Toss the chicken with the Emperor's Dust, soy, Shaoxing, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, white pepper and egg. Rest 15 minutes.

2

Coat & fry. Toss the chicken through the potato starch, shaking off the excess. Shallow-fry (or air-fry at 200°C) until deep golden and crisp, 5–6 minutes. Drain.

3

Mix the dust. Stir together the salt & pepper dust ingredients.

4

Toss it up. Get 2 tbsp oil smoking. Flash-fry the chilli, onion and garlic for 30 seconds. Return the chicken, shower over the dust and spring onions, and toss hard for another 30 seconds until every piece is coated. Straight to the plate.

Tip — that "restaurant" hit is the Emperor's Dust catching the hot oil. Add it to the pan, not the plate.

One dust. Every takeaway classic.

Emperor’s Dust is our Dynasty five-spice — the warm, aromatic backbone of salt & pepper everything.

Get Emperor's Dust — $17
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