Creamy Salted Egg Yolk Chicken
Creamy Salted Egg Yolk Chicken is so simple to make but full of umami flavors! Crispy, tender, flavorful fried chicken bites drenched in a creamy savory salted egg yolk sauce. Enjoy alongside fluffy rice and a fried egg.
The trend of incorporating salted eggs into dishes and snacks has risen in Singapore for the past few years. If you have traveled to Singapore, it will be hard to find someone who hasn’t tried Irvin’s salted egg yolk potato chips and salted egg fish skin. Some restaurants also started to introduce salted egg yolk fried chicken.
They are so good that the popularity of the salted egg dishes started spreading to the neighboring countries, Malaysia and Indonesia. The salted egg yolk fried chicken menu was popping up everywhere at restaurants and among home cooks in the country.
Salted egg yolks are transformed into a sweet, savory, rich sauce that perfectly coats a tender crispy piece of fired chicken. It is so simple to make but full of flavors. If you’ve never had salted egg yolk fried chicken you’re in for a treat.
What is a Salted Duck Egg?
A salted duck egg is a preserved food product made by soaking duck eggs in salt brine or packing each egg in a thick layer of salted charcoal. The salt curing process usually takes around 20 to 50 days.
During the curing process, the moisture is drawn out of the egg inside, yielding a thinner egg white while the yolk becomes bright orange-red and firm solid. The raw egg white is watery and does not have the same slimy viscosity as an average egg. It also has a sharp, salty taste. The yolk is rich, fatty, oily, and salty but not as salty as the white part. The yolk is the most popular part of the salted duck egg.
Ingredients You Need
Fried chicken
- Chicken – Use chicken thighs for a juicer and more flavorful fried chicken.
- All-purpose flour – The developed gluten helps the batter cling to the food without producing an overly chewy or oily crust.
- Rice flour – When paired with all-purpose flour, rice flour helps prevent gluten development, which makes the flour coating crispier, and absorbs moisture (from the frying and the chicken), which also means a crispier coating. If you don’t have rice flour, you can substitute it with cornstarch.
- Egg – To make the flour coating stick better.
- Seasonings – Salt, ground white pepper, and chicken stock powder to marinate the chicken and season the flour coating.
Salted egg yolk sauce
- Salted egg yolks – Cook the salted egg yolks first before using them for the sauce. If you have raw salted eggs, separate the whites and yolks. Steam the yolks for 10 minutes. If you have boiled salted eggs, just cut them open with a knife and spoon the yolks.
- Butter – Add richness.
- Curry leaves – When it comes to flavor, curry leaves offer a unique blend of citrusy, nutty, and slightly bitter notes. They have a strong aroma that is often described as a combination of lemon, curry, and spice. The fragrance intensifies when the leaves are heated or crushed, releasing their aromatic oils.
- Garlic – For aromatic flavor and aroma.
- Bird’s eye chilis – Add a spicy kick and a touch of color.
- Evaporated milk – Use evaporated milk to make the sauce more creamy. You can replace it with whole-fat milk.
- Condensed milk – To add a little bit of sweetness to the sauce.
- Seasonings – Ground white pepper and chicken stock powder. Taste the sauce and add salt if the sauce is not salty enough. The amount of salt depends on the saltiness level of the salted eggs.
How to Adjust The Sauce Thickness
Once all the ingredients in the sauce come together, you can adjust the sauce thickness to your liking. You can simmer the sauce until the liquid evaporates for a thicker, creamy sauce. Or add more evaporated milk to make a thinner, saucy sauce.
How to Make
- Marinate the chicken with salt and ground white pepper in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, rice flour, salt, ground white pepper, and chicken stock powder. Set aside. Add egg and 2 tablespoons of flour mixture to the chicken. Mix until combined. Coat the chicken pieces with the flour mixture.
- Deep fry the chicken until light golden brown.
- In a large frying pan, stir fry butter and add curry leaves. Add garlic and bird’s eye chilis. Stir fry until fragrant.
- Add mashed cooked salted egg yolks and evaporated milk. Add condensed milk, ground white pepper, and chicken stock powder. Taste and add salt if necessary.
- Toss the chicken in the salted egg yolk sauce. Serve immediately.
How to Serve
This Creamy Salted Egg Yolk Chicken is pretty salty eaten as it is. It is best served with steamed rice. In restaurants, this dish is commonly served together with sunny side eggs.
How to Store
This Creamy Salted Egg Yolk Chicken is best consumed immediately. The flour coating will lose its crispness in hours. If you don’t plan to eat it immediately, don’t toss the chicken in the salted egg sauce and serve or store them in separate bowls or containers. The leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat, fry or air fry the chicken until crispy. Reheat the salted egg sauce over a stovetop or in a microwave. You may need to add more milk to the sauce to loosen it.
Creamy Salted Egg Yolk Chicken
Ingredients
Fried Chicken
- 1.1 lbs (500 gr) boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup (60 gr) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp (15 gr) rice flour or cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper, divided
- 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
- Oil, for frying
Salted Egg Sauce
- 3 tbsp (45 gr) butter
- 15-25 curry leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 bird's eye chilis, thinly sliced
- 4 salted egg yolks, cooked and mashed
- 1 cup (240 ml) evaporated milk
- 1/2-1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- Salt, optional
Instructions
How to Cook Salted Egg Yolks:
- Steaming method – Separate the yolks from the whites. Steam the yolks for 10 minutes.
- Boil method – Boil the whole salted eggs for 10 minutes until hard-boiled. Cool completely and cut them open with a knife lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the yolks.
Fried Chicken
- Marinate chicken – Mix chicken with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp ground white pepper. Chill in the fridge and marinate for 20-30 minutes.
- Make dry coating – In a medium bowl, mix all-purpose flour, rice flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground white pepper, and chicken stock powder until combined. Set aside.
- Make wet coating – Add egg and 2 tbsp flour mixture to the chicken. Mix until well combined.
- Fry – Heat a large frying pan with oil enough for deep frying. Coat the chicken with the flour evenly and slide the coated chicken pieces into the hot oil. You can fry the chicken into two batches to prevent overcrowding your pan. Cook until light brown, turning over a few times for even browning. Remove from the oil and place on paper towels to remove the excess oil.
Salted Egg Sauce
- Fry curry leaves – Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add butter and curry leaves.
- Add aromatics – Once the butter has melted, add garlic and bird's eye chilis. Stir fry until fragrant.
- Add salted egg yolks – Add mashed salted egg yolks and mix until combined.
- Add milk and seasonings – Add evaporated milk gradually. Add condensed milk, chicken stock powder, and ground white pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed. The amount of salt depends on the saltiness level of salted egg yolks used.
- Add chicken – Add fried chicken and toss in the sauce until combined.
- Serve salted egg chicken with steamed rice and sunny side eggs.
Perfection!
Thanks Joan!