Asian cuisine is wonderfully diverse—Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Thai, Malaysian, and Korean—each offering its own distinctive flavors while sharing certain ingredients and cooking techniques. Over the years, we have enjoyed exploring many of these cuisines, although our choices were often limited to seafood. As Muslims, staying within the boundaries of halal food can sometimes be challenging, especially when so many tempting dishes traditionally feature non-halal meats.
While I do have friends who are comfortable eating non-halal chicken or meat, for us that has never been an option. I firmly believe that when there are choices available that allow us to remain true to our beliefs, it is important to honor them. Fortunately, that has never prevented us from enjoying the flavors we love. The beauty of having curious taste buds—and a genuine passion for cooking—is that almost any dish can be adapted and made your own.
Begin by marinating the chicken in a mixture of buttermilk, chili flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, white pepper, oregano, and salt. Allow it to rest for at least an hour—longer if possible—so the flavors have time to fully penetrate the meat.
Once marinated, coat the chicken pieces in a mixture of flour, cornstarch, and a little salt, then fry until golden and crisp. This creates a light, crunchy exterior that pairs beautifully with the sauce.
The sauce is what truly brings the dish together. It is prepared with crushed garlic and ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, gochujang—a sweet and mildly spicy Korean chili paste readily available in most Asian grocery stores—along with honey, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and red chili flakes. Allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens slightly, then toss in the fried chicken pieces, coating them thoroughly so every bite is infused with flavor.
For garnish, scallions and sesame seeds work beautifully. While scallions can certainly be added directly to the sauce, I prefer sprinkling them over the finished dish just before serving. This keeps them crisp and fresh, providing a pleasant contrast in texture.
Substitute for Buttermilk?
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, it’s easy to make your own. Simply add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the same quantity of milk required in the recipe. Stir well and let it rest for a few minutes before using it in the marinade.
The flavor of this chicken strikes a wonderful balance between sweet and spicy, making it appealing to both children and adults alike—unless, of course, someone prefers completely mild food. It has become one of my favorite dishes for playdates, family gatherings, and casual get-togethers because it is always a crowd-pleaser.
Cooking in advance
If you’re entertaining, the chicken bites can be fried ahead of time and kept warm in a preheated oven set to its lowest warming setting, ideally around 200°F (95°C). Anything significantly higher may overcook the chicken, causing it to become chewy or dry. When you’re ready to serve, simply toss the chicken in the freshly prepared sauce and garnish before bringing it to the table.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Passive Time | 1 hour |
| Servings |
people
|
- 1 lb Chicken Breast Boneless, cut to small bite size pieces
- 1/2 cup Scallion chopped
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk
- 1.5 tbsp Dry red chili flakes
- 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
- 1/2 tbsp Onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
- 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp Oregano
- Salt
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 cup All purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp Corn Starch Powder
- 1 tbsp Ginger crushed
- 1.5 tbsp garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp Soya sauce
- 1 tbsp Hot Sauce optional
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil Or any other oil of your choice
- 2 tbsp gochujang paste
- 1/2 tbsp Brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 3 cups Vegetable oil For frying
Ingredients
|
Rate this recipe!
|
- This dish makes an excellent appetizer.
- You can also serve as a side dish on a lunch or dinner menu.
- Marinate the chicken pieces with a little salt, buttermilk, 1/2 tbsp dry red chili flakes, black pepper powder, White pepper powder, Onion powder, Garlic powder, Red chili powder, and Turmeric powder.
- Mix everything well and leave it covered in the refrigerator for around an hour or more.
- Mix the flour, corn starch powder, and a little salt. Add and mix in a bag and add the chicken pieces one by one to the bag, leaving the excess marinade behind.
- Coat all the chicken pieces properly in the flour mix.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces.
- Mix the crushed Ginger, Crushed garlic, soy sauce, Hot sauce, sesame oil, and vegetable oil.
- Add in honey, 1 tbsp dry red chili flakes, gochujang paste, and a little salt
- Add the brown sugar too. Mix everything well.
- Pour the sauce over the fried chicken pieces. Add the scallions as well.
- Sprinkle the sesame seeds and serve hot.
I really appreciated how you explained adapting dishes to stay true to halal cooking without giving up on exploring different cuisines. The detail about marinating and lightly battering the chicken to build more flavor and texture makes a lot of sense, especially since sauces alone can sometimes feel one-dimensional. It’s always interesting to see how small technique changes can completely transform a dish.
Thank you