Salt & Pepper Chicken

Ingredients

• 8 oz chicken breast, cut into bite-size cubes
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves (optional)
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups oil for deep-frying
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper salt, or to taste (or 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8
• teaspoon white pepper)

Marinade

• 1 Tablespoon scallions, chopped finely
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 Tablespoon rice wine
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper salt (or 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon white
• pepper)

Directions

Mix all the ingredients of Marinade in a big bowl, stir well. Add the chicken pieces and marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat up the oil in the wok for deep-frying. Coat the chicken with the cornstarch evenly. Deep-fry the chicken until they turn golden brown, remove from the oil and set aside.

Pour the oil out and add the basil leaves and stir a few times before adding the chicken back into the wok. Remove from the wok, add the pepper salt and toss well with the chicken. Serve immediately.