• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
COOKMORPHOSIS
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Collections
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Collections
  • Web Stories
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Appetizers

    Salt and Pepper Chicken Nuggets - The Most Delicious Recipe

    Jul 19, 2020 · By Tu · Last updated: Mar 6, 2021 · 5 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links

    600
    SHARES
    FacebookPinterestTwitterSubscribePrint
    Jump to Recipe

    Lets make the most delicious salt and pepper chicken nuggets with one secret ingredient that nobody could've figured out. This chicken nuggets recipe is the closest replica of all Chinese restaurants' recipes. If you love Chinese food, you definitely know this famous dish. And I swear the moment I figure out the secret ingredient that make it is as it is, I almost burst into tear. Ok, it was not like that, but a little exaggerating is totally needed for this amazing salt and pepper chicken nuggets recipe.

    There are two different components that make this salt and pepper recipe taste amazing.

    1. The right amount of salt & pepper together with the secret ingredient.
    2. The dipping sauce.

    Yup, you read it right. If you ate this dish without lime & pepper dipping sauce, then you've ever truly experienced it to the fullest.

    salt and pepper chicken recipe

    What's part of chicken did I used?

    Well, there is no secret that I am in love with dark meat chicken. Therefore, I'm using boneless chicken thigh in this recipe. However, if you are not a big fan of dark meat, you can always switch out for chicken breast. But be aware of cooking time, the breast part requires less time compared to the thigh meat.

    Never miss a recipe. Subscribe!

    Chicken substitution

    You can use other types of meat or seafood for this recipe: shrimp, fish nuggets, turkey nuggets, etc. The amount of other ingredients should stay the same, no need for adjustment.

    salt and pepper chicken recipe

    The secret ingredient

    So what is the secret ingredient that I'm bragging about besides those two key ingredients: salt and pepper? It is cinnamon powder. Surprised, right? All you need to do is adding a small amount of this amazing ingredient into your chicken nuggets to make it taste exactly the same with your favorite Chinese restaurant's dish.

    • The Best Gluten Free Chicken Wings
    • General Tso's Chicken with Vegan Sauce Recipe
    • Crispy Cajun Fried Chicken And Waffles

    Trouble shooting

    I'm using a mixture of tapioca starch and all purpose flour to dredge the chicken. So if you're seeing white spot all over your chicken nuggets, you should:

    1. Get rid of any excess as much as possible before adding the chicken to the oil.
    2. Make sure there is enough oil to cover all the nuggets and the temperature is at least 350F.
    3. Add small batch of nuggets. Do not over crowd the oil.

    Also, before proceeding with the cooking process, make sure you have plenty of vegetable oil available. It'll run out of oil quickly so having extra on inventory won't hurt the process.

    salt and pepper chicken recipe

    Besides this delicious salt and pepper chicken nugget, I also have plenty of other wonderful fried chicken recipes. Like this amazing replica of Bonchon fried chicken or this super crispy twice cook chicken wings.

    Did you make this recipe? If so please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comment section. Also, don't forget to tag me #cookmorphosis @cookmorphosis on social media.

    salt and pepper chicken nuggets

    Salt and Pepper Chicken Nuggets

    Created by: Tu
    Lets make the most delicious salt and pepper chicken nuggets with one secret ingredient that nobody could've figured out.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Marinating time 30 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine Chinese
    Servings 4 people

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb chicken thigh boneless, skin on, cut into bite site

    Seasoning mixture

    • ¼ tsp white pepper
    • ¼ tsp black pepper
    • 1 tsp salt
    • ⅛ tsp cinnamon powder
    • 1 small white onion small dice
    • 3 jalapeno or other mild/sweet pepper sliced

    Marinade mixture

    • 1 c milk
    • 1 tsp salt
    • ⅛ tsp black pepper
    • ½ tsp garlic powder

    For frying

    • vegetable oil as needed
    • tapioca starch as needed
    • all purpose flour as needed

    Dipping sauce

    • 1 tsp salt
    • ¼ tsp white pepper
    • ⅛ tsp black pepper
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1 tbsp lime juice freshly squeeze
    • ¼ tsp olive oil

    Instructions
     

    • In a mixing bowl, put chicken (already cut into bite site cubes) and marinade mixture in. Let chicken marinade for at least 30 minutes, in the fridge (because milk is used here, if left at room temperature, milk might go bad).

    Frying process

    • In a large mixing bowl, put together tapioca starch and all purpose flour follow this ratio: 3:1. Add a dash of salt into this flour mixture. Mix well so everything is incorporated.
    • In a deep shallow frying pan, add vegetable oil (more than half way) and heat on high heat. Make sure the oil reaches 350F before adding dredged chicken nuggets.
    • Work in small batch: gradually dredge marinated chicken with flour mixture, before put in hot oil to fry, give it a little shake to get rid of excess of flour. Fry the nuggets for 5-10 minutes (depend on how big your batch is). Or until the chicken turn golden brown color.
    • Continue to work with the rest of chicken nuggets. Add more oil, flour mixture as you go, if needed. If you need to add more oil, remember to wait for it to reach 350F before keep frying. Set fried chicken nuggets aside.

    Sauteed process

    • In a small mixing bowl, combine all seasoning mixture together. In another cooking pan, add 2 tbsp vegetable oil followed by seasoning mixture. Cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes or until white onion just turned golden brown.
    • Add fried chicken nugget to the hot pan, give them a few shake to coat the chicken thoroughly with seasoning mixture (around 30 seconds to 1 minute max).

    Serving

    • Combine all ingredients in dipping sauce and give a few stir.
    • Serve chicken nuggets immediately with dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!
    600
    SHARES
    FacebookPinterestTwitterSubscribePrint

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tu!

    Here at Cookmorphosis, you will find well-tested recipes, from everyday meals to restaurant style dishes, that are super easy-to-follow. Read more.

    New recipes

    • Lemon Chiffon Sponge Cake (No-Bake)
    • Skillet Marry Me Chicken (Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Chicken)
    • Braised Pork Spare Ribs (Suon Ram Man)
    • Foolproof Basque Burnt Cheesecake
    • 25 Tasty & Easy Summer Recipes
    • 32 Favorite Cinco De Mayo Recipes

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Policy
    • Privacy
    • Terms & Conditions
    Newsletter
    • Subscribe
    • Web stories
    Overview
    • Contact
    • About

    Cookmorphosis is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites at no cost to you.

    © COPYRIGHT 2015 - 2022 COOKMORPHOSIS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.