Vietnamese Crispy Skin Chicken (Gà Da Dòn)

Step 1

Pour 4 tbsp oil in a small saucepan on high heat. When hot, turn it down to medium and add the ginger slices, star anise, garlic cloves and cinnamon. Let it cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Step 2

Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot and pour in the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, chicken bouillon powder, honey and annatto seed oil.

Step 3

Add the fried aromatics in and let it boil on high heat for 5 minutes, then turn the heat off.

Step 4

Combine 1 US cup ice and 1L water. Add the ice water into the stock. This will cool it down and prevent the skin from cracking.

Step 5

Add the maryland pieces in and bring it back up to a boil. Let it cook for 10 minutes on high heat, then turn the heat off and let the chicken sit in the stock with the lid on for 10 minutes.

Step 6

Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath with enough liquid to submerge the marylands in. After the 10 minutes of sitting in the stock, transfer the cooked pieces into the ice bath for 15 minutes or until cool.

Step 7

Remove the chicken from the liquid and pat them dry with paper towels. Let them air dry for 1 hour or until dry.Pro Tip: If they're drying on a plate, lift each piece up, pat the underside dry and wipe the plate clean every few minutes to remove excess moisture. Repeat this every 5-10 minutes.

Step 8

Heat up oil and the lemon juice in a pot or wok until hot, then place the maryland skin side up into the oil. Let it fry for 30 seconds, then scoop it up using a slotted spoon. Make sure the skin side is still facing up.Note: Once the chicken goes into the oil, hot oil will start spitting so be careful.

Step 9

Use a ladle to scoop up the hot oil and pour it over the skin. Repeat this step for 15 minutes or until golden and crisp. Do this for each piece.

Step 10

Serve as is or with your favorite sides!