Recipes Crispy Garlic Chicken with Dipping Salt Be the first to rate & review! At 66, Jean-Georges Vongerichten sells 60 orders a day of this supermoist Hong Kong-style chicken. One of the reasons it's so good is that the chicken is fried whole in a wok, yet it doesn't taste remotely oily. The other reason is that the chicken is rubbed with aromatic five-spice powder and salt four hours before being basted with a vinegar and brown sugar syrup, then marinated overnight; plan accordingly.Plus: More Chicken Recipes and Tips By Jean-Georges Vongerichten Jean-Georges Vongerichten Instagram Website Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most famous chefs in the world. The earliest memories Jean-Georges has of his family are food, as he was born and raised in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. After taking part in a work-study program at Auberge de l'Ill, as an apprentice to Chef Paul Haeberlin, he worked for Paul Bocuse and Louis Outhier at L'Oasis in southern France.His influential cooking style has been reflected in restaurants across the world as well as several cookbooks he has published, including Simple Cuisine (Wiley, 1990), Cooking at Home with a Four Star Chef (Broadway Books, 1998), which won the James Beard Foundation's Best Cookbook Award in 1999; and Simple to Spectacular (Broadway Books, 2000), among many more. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 6, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 14 hrs 30 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients Kosher salt 1 teaspoon five-spice powder 1 chicken bouillon cube (12 grams) One 3 1/2-pound chicken 2 cups distilled white vinegar 1 cup water 1 cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon Szechwan peppercorns 3 1/4 cups vegetable oil 8 large garlic cloves, finely chopped Directions Set a fine sieve over a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, the five-spice powder and bouillon cube and rub them through the sieve. Set the chicken on a platter. Rub the spice blend all over the chicken inside and out and refrigerate it for 4 hours. In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar with the water, brown sugar and baking powder and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the syrup to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Stand the chicken in the syrup and ladle the syrup over it several times. Transfer the chicken to a rack set over a plate and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before cooking. Pat the chicken dry inside and out with paper towels. In a large wok, heat 3 cups of the oil to 375° over moderately high heat. Carefully lower the chicken into the hot oil, breast side up, and cook until deeply browned on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Insert a large fork into the cavity and carefully transfer the chicken to a plate. Turn the chicken over and lower it into the hot oil, breast side down. Fry the chicken until deeply browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes longer. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the Szechwan peppercorns over moderate heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder and let cool. Add 3 tablespoons of kosher salt and grind to a fine powder. Heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cook over low heat until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer the garlic and oil to a small bowl. Transfer the chicken to a carving board, breast side up, and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve and arrange the pieces on a platter. Scatter the garlic and oil all over the chicken and serve with the spiced salt. Make Ahead The spiced salt can be made up to 2 weeks ahead. Suggested Pairing This dish marries well with beer or a wide variety of wines—red, white or sparkling. Either a complex, lively, dry beer like Orval Trappist Ale from Belgium or a fruity, pepper red from France's southern Rhône Valley will complement the chicken and spicy seasoning here. Consider a Grenache-dominated Gigondas. Rate it Print