Rebound Chicken

Fresh off my first loss and out of chicken stock, my next choice was Deep Fried Spiced Chicken.  The technique of double frying was the same as last time, but I've learned a few things, and chicken can be more more forgiving.

Initial Investigation

Not much to say here, the instructions are clear, and the Chinese matches the English well.  Marinate in spices, soy sauce and wine, fry.  I was missing star anise (must be in my other spice rack) so I substituted a 1/2 tsp of 5 spice powder (containing anise as well as other flavors already in the dish).

Execution

This time I decided to watch the oil temperature more carefully.  It says "Heat oil to very hot, and deep fry ... over low heat."  I decided "very hot" meant 375°. Cooked for 3 minutes, removed, reheated to 375, cooked for 1 minute, and plate.

Sorry, I was too lazy to fetch the tripod.  Took 5 pictures, all of them blurry.

At the last moment you're supposed to drizzle to sesame oil.  For the first serving, I forgot the sesame oil, and the chicken was merely OK.  Adding the sesame oil brought everything together in just the right way. 

Conclusion

Even the next day, served at room temperature, the chicken was juicy, tender, and spicy.  The was an especially satisfying comeback because it used the same cooking technique as the last failure.