Hong Kong Scallion Oil Crispy Chicken

蔥油雞扒, or Scallion Oil Crispy Chicken, is a classic Hong Kong dish featuring crispy, pan-fried chicken thighs served with a fragrant scallion and shallot sauce. The dish is known for its crispy skin, juicy meat, and the rich, savoury flavours of the scallion oil sauce, making it a beloved comfort food.

ingredients:

This recipe serves 2 people 🙂

2 chicken thighs, deboned

Salt
Pepper

Scallion oil sauce:

4 green onions, chopped
3 shallots, sliced
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt

Drizzle of sesame oil

steps:

Debone the chicken thighs and pat them dry with a kitchen towel to remove excess moisture.
Make shallow cuts on the thicker parts of the chicken, slicing through the tendons to ensure even thickness for uniform cooking. Season with salt and pepper, then lightly coat the skin side with cornstarch for a crispy finish.

Place the chicken skin-side down on a cold pan, press with a heavy object, and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Starting in a cold pan allows the fat to slowly render out from the skin, making it crispier without burning.
Flip and cook the meat side for another 4 minutes.
Flip back to the skin side, increase the heat to high, and cook for another 1-2 minutes to achieve extra crispiness.

To make the sauce, use the residual oil from frying the chicken to sauté the shallots until softened. Add the green onions and stir-fry briefly for about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, then stir in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and a drizzle of sesame oil.
Serve with steamed rice and enjoy 🙂

how to achieve CRISPY skin and JUICY chicken:

Pat the Chicken Dry: Make sure the chicken skin is dry before cooking. Excess moisture would prevent the skin from crisping up.

Use Cornstarch: Lightly coat the skin side with some cornstarch because it helps absorb any remaining moisture and creates an extra layer of crispiness during cooking.
Start in a Cold Pan: Starting with skin-side down on a cold pan allows the fat to render out slowly, so that we can have a crispy skin with burning.
Press Down for Even Contact: Use a heavy object to press down the chicken while cooking the skin side. This ensures full contact with the pan, promoting even browning and crispiness.

Finish on High Heat: After cooking the meat side, flip back to the skin side and increase the heat to high for the final 1-2 minutes. This makes the skin extra golden and crispy!

check out more classic Hong Kong recipes:

Hong Kong Scallion Oil Crispy Chicken

Cuisine: Hong Kong, Chinese

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

2 chicken thighs, deboned
Salt
Pepper
Scallion oil sauce:
4 green onions, chopped
3 shallots, sliced
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
Pinch salt
Drizzle of sesame oil

Directions

Debone the chicken thighs and pat them dry with a kitchen towel to remove excess moisture.
Make shallow cuts on the thicker parts of the chicken, slicing through the tendons to ensure even thickness for uniform cooking. Season with salt and pepper, then lightly coat the skin side with cornstarch for a crispy finish.
Place the chicken skin-side down on a cold pan, press with a heavy object, and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Starting in a cold pan allows the fat to slowly render out from the skin, making it crispier without burning.
Flip and cook the meat side for another 4 minutes.
Flip back to the skin side, increase the heat to high, and cook for another 1-2 minutes to achieve extra crispiness.
To make the sauce, use the residual oil from frying the chicken to sauté the shallots until softened. Add the green onions and stir-fry briefly for about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, then stir in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and a drizzle of sesame oil.
Serve with steamed rice and enjoy 🙂

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