On our recent trip to Xi’an, we were reminded of and introduced to China’s rich varieties of Islamic cuisine—specifically the cooking of the Uyghur people. Chuan(r), or kebabs usually made with lamb, for example, might just be one of the most popular street foods in Beijing (maybe second only to jian bing – see Kaitlin’s quick shortcut recipe for jian bing here).
But these lamb skewers, seasoned with a fiery, fragrant mixture of chili, cumin, and salt, actually originated in the far northwestern province of Xinjiang, where the Uyghurs come from and we figured the same spice would make a kickin’ fried chicken.
Of course, we were reminded why this Xinjiang spice mixture is so popular across Beijing and the rest of China. It’s a delicious combination of cumin and chili that compliments meats amazingly well.
We decided to expand beyond yangrou chuan (lamb kebabs), and combine the flavors of these spices (along with a few spice ideas of our own) with crispy, juicy fried chicken. We served it with a cooling, tangy cucumber yogurt sauce.
This fried chicken was out of this world. And the Colonel is fuming with jealousy.
Recipe Instructions
Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to a bowl.
Add ground cumin, red chili powder, ground Sichuan peppercorns, five spice powder, garlic powder, salt, sugar, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine.
Use your hands to combine everything together. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
When ready to cook, take the chicken out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Add the cornstarch and flour to the chicken and use your hands to mix everything together evenly.
Prepare your yogurt sauce by simply combining cucumber, plain yogurt, minced garlic, salt, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat your oil in a small pot or cast iron skillet until it reaches 350 degrees.
Fry the chicken in two or three batches for about 5 to 10 minutes, depending upon the size of your drumsticks. If you’re unsure about the doneness, poke a skewer into the thickest part of the drumstick to check if the juices run clear. Drain the fried chicken on paper towels.
Garnish the chicken with chopped cilantro and serve with your yogurt sauce!
FRIED CHICKEN W/ XINJIANG SPICES
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 10 chicken drumsticks
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (we used a slightly milder chili powder that’s available here in Beijing. Adjust the spice amounts according to your tolerance level)
- 1 tablespoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon five spice powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 to 6 cups peanut or vegetable oil (for frying)
- a handful of chopped cilantro
For the yogurt sauce:
- 1 cucumber
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1 clove garlic (finely minced)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to a bowl and add spices, salt, sugar, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine. Use your hands to combine everything together. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to cook, take the chicken out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Add the cornstarch and flour to the chicken and use your hands to mix everything together evenly.
- Prepare your yogurt sauce by simply combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat your oil in a small pot or cast iron skillet until it reaches 350 degrees. Fry the chicken in two or three batches for about 5 to 10 minutes, depending upon the size of your drumsticks. If you’re unsure about the doneness, poke a skewer into the thickest part of the drumstick to check if the juices run clear. Drain the fried chicken on paper towels.
- Garnish the chicken with chopped cilantro and serve with your yogurt sauce!
I used this spice rib as a marinade for grilled chicken skewers and it was amazing!
It would be even better fried :-)
I increased the spice level to two tablespoons of red hot chilli powder. I have no toddlers. Will keep you briefed on how that turned out
Wow, you are in for a treat! Hope you like it as much as we do.
Are the pretty spicy or not too bad? I know, everyone has different tolerance, but wondering how a toddler would handle the spice level. So happy to have found this recipe because I had some melt in your mouth lamb skewers in SG and have been looking for somethingn similar to the spices they used…. And I think this is it! Can’t wait to try it out:)
Hey Lindizzima, I would say that it really depends on the freshness and heat of the chili powder and sichuan peppercorns you’re using, but it might be a bit too intense for your toddler. The sichuan peppercorns add that slight “numbing” element, while the chili powder can be quite spicy if you use regular chili powder from the grocery store. Maybe you can set aside some plain chicken for the baby, and cook it separately?
Also! We have a recipe for those lamb skewers! Check it out here: https://thewoksoflife.com/2014/06/spicy-beijing-lamb-skewers-yangrou-chuan/.
Mmm oh my! These look absolutely perfect, I love all your recipes, you guys make me want to travel to the origins of such beautiful cuisine.
Thank you so much Chantelle!
That looks perfect for dinner!
Thanks Anne! Just checked out your blog. That’s so awesome that you’re a high school food blogger! Congrats on being awesome.
Brilliant indeed! Those spices couldn’t be any more perfect. You just took chicken to a whole other level! Pinned and making! So glad I found you site (am making your English muffins tomorrow and re blogging, linking here of course).
Thanks Gwen! It really is a special fried chicken and is off-the-chart awesome! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did :-)
Made this today in an air fryer. Turned out beautifully! 380 for 15 mins and 400 for 10 min. Sprayed with avocado oil after the first 7 mins than again after I flipped it. The oil in the marinade also helped with the crisping. I also doubled the chili powder as we love heat and the flavors still came through. So grateful for your website as we’ve been needing to cook more at home than ever before!
Hi Celesta, Thanks so much for sharing that information on using the air fryer!