By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com
Pollo Diablo - My finished test
One of my favorite hole in the wall restaurants, or “dives” as they are called, is Chino Bandito’s in Phoenix, Arizona. As luck woud have it, Guy Fieri covered the restaurant on an espisode of Diner’s, Drive-Ins, and Dives and published Chino Bandito’s recipe for Pollo Diablo (their garlic chicken)! I sat on the information for a few weeks but gave it a try the other day. Read more for the results and to try it at home.
Ingredients
12 cups corn oil
3/4 cup egg whites
4 pounds skinless, boneless, chicken thighs
2 Tbs garlic salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups cornstarch
Garlic Mixture Ingredients
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced yellow onion
3/4 tablespoon minced green onion
Pinch dried crushed red pepper
1/2 minced serrano pepper
1/2 minced jalapeno pepper
Pinch garlic powder
1/4 cup hot chili oil, divided
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
2 cups freshly chopped green onions
Garlic Chicken - Prepped and Set
Directions
In a Dutch oven heat oil to 375 degrees F. I recommend using a candy thermometer inserted into the oil to ensure it reaches 375 degrees F.
While the oil is heating you need to cut the chicken into 1/2 inch pieces and remove any excess fat during the process.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a handheld mixer until frothy. Place the chicken pieces into the egg whites, mixing until each piece is covered. Sprinkle with a pinch each of garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir to distribute.
In my picture on the right you can see the chopped chicken, bowl of egg whites, and bowl of corn starch. Make sure you have a large area to work with as the next step can be messy!
Dredge the chicken pieces in cornstarch, draining most of the egg white from chicken by picking up a handful and allowing the egg white to drain while moving to the cornstarch. Cover the pieces completely by turning in corn starch.
Pick up the chicken in handfuls and transfer from hand to hand to shake off most of the starch. Place pieces of chicken in hot oil and fry until light brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Garlic Chicken - Chicken Pieces Fried
For the Garlic Mixture
The following steps are for the mixture you will mix in with the fried chicken.
In a small bowl, add all the garlic mixture ingredients and toss to thoroughly combine.
Place 1 tablespoon of hot chili oil and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil into a hot wok or saute pan over medium to high heat.
Immediately put 4 tablespoons of the garlic mixture and 1/3 cup chopped green onions into the oil, stirring with a spoon to lightly cook the garlic mixture, being careful not to brown.
Add approximately 2 cups of the fried chicken and toss to cover with the sauce. Finish them with a pinch of garlic salt.
Toss once more and serve. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
The whole dish took me a while to make but it would go super fast if I had to do it again. It comes down to a few steps:
- Prep the chicken
- Make the garlic mix
- Fry the chicken
- Toss the chicken witht he garlic mix
That’s it in a nutshell. The end result? It tasted good and reminded me of Chino Banditos. Keep in mind that their food is very rich and has very few redeeming health qualities. Typically I would tell you how to cut down on the calories but given it’s fried chicken, there isn’t much I can recommend.
A few things you could try though:
- Try baking the chicken on a wire rack instead of frying
- Trim all fat from the chicken thighs
- Use a sesame/chili oil (yes, they make this!) and only apply half of what is called for
Spices
The recipe and some instructions were supplied by
15414 N.19th Ave, Suite K
Phoenix, AZ 85032
Daily 11am – 9pm
(602) 375-3639
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