Vinegar - 1 tbsp (white vinegar or rice wine vinegar)
Sugar - 1 tbsp (white or brown sugar or ½ tbsp of honey)
Cornflour/cornstarch - 3 tbsp
Salt & black pepper to taste
White sesame seeds to garnish
Flavorless vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Prepare the spring onion by first separating the greens and whites. Then finely chop each part separately and set aside until needed.
Wash and pat dry the chicken thighs. Then cut each thigh into small bite sized pieces, about 1 cm in length.
Take the chicken pieces in a mixing bowl and add garlic paste, beaten egg, 1 tablespoon of cornflour and salt & pepper to taste. Give a good mix. The chicken will only have a light dusting of cornflour and not a thick coating.
Heat about 4 tablespoons of oil in a wok. Once the oil is hot, drop in one chicken piece at a time into the wok keeping them in a single layer and not on top of each other. You may need to fry the chicken in batches without overcrowding the pan.
Let the chicken cook without any disturbance for 5 minutes on medium heat. Then carefully flip them over and let the other side fry for 5 more minutes. Since the chicken pieces are quite small, it would not take much time to cook.
Once the chicken is golden brown on the outside and fork tender, take them out and place on a plate lined with an absorbent kitchen towel.
While the chicken is being cooked, you can prepare the sauce by simply mixing soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons of cornflour and half a cup of water in a small bowl.
Once all the chicken pieces are fried, heat another tablespoon of oil in the same wok. If you have left over oil in the wok, then just keep 1 tablespoon and discard the rest.
Once the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and chopped spring onion whites. Stir fry them for a few seconds on medium heat.
Then pour in the prepared sauce but only after giving it a quick mix as cornflour tends to thicken and sit at the bottom of the liquid.
Keep stirring the sauce over high heat and let it come to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, it will start to thicken.
Now add all the fried chicken pieces into the wok and keep mixing them with the sauce. Chicken will turn glossy and the sauce will start sticking to the chicken cubes.
Add the spring onion greens and give a good mix. The sauce will mostly be absorbed by now. Your soy sauce chicken bites are ready to serve!
Switch off the flame and transfer these quick chicken bites to a serving platter and sprinkle white sesame seeds on top and a final dash of green spring onions for that restaurant-like look! Enjoy!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://www.flavorquotient.com/2023/07/soy-sauce-chicken-bites/