Are you craving something crispy, buttery, and bursting with flavor? Salted egg yolk chicken is a favorite dish among the Chinese, as it has a delightful explosion of savory, spicy, and aromatic notes. 

This dish is an excellent way to introduce your palate to the incredible flavors of Malaysian-Chinese cuisine.

Let’s dive in!  

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The main ingredients for salted duck egg chicken

• Chicken: You can choose chicken breast or thigh meat, depending on your preference. I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into pieces about one inch in size. You can also choose bone-in, skin-on chicken if you prefer.
• Salted duck egg yolk: Salted eggs are available in most Asian countries. However, they may be difficult to find outside of Asia. The salted duck eggs sold in our market are raw and must be cooked according to the instructions below. I only use the yolk in this recipe for its flavor, but there is no harm with a small amount of the white while cooking.
• Curry leaves: Curry leaves are commonly used in Indian and Malaysian cuisines and several local Chinese Malaysian dishes. 
• Garlic: I add chopped garlic to the recipe for extra flavor.
• Bird’s Eye Chili: These small chilies, known as chili padi in Malaysia, are much hotter than Serrano red chili. They pair well with curry leaves in various local dishes.
• Butter: To create an aromatic flavor, butter is used to fry the curry leaves, garlic, and chili.

How to prepare Chinese-style salted egg yolk chicken

1. Cut the chicken into bite-size, about an inch in length. Next, season the chicken with salt, ground white pepper, light soy sauce, Chinese wine, and cornstarch. Set it aside to marinate it for about one hour.

2. Remove the black ashes covering the salted duck eggs and crack them open. Separate the yolks from the whites. Place the yolks in a steamer with rolling boiled water for 5 to 7 minutes until cooked.

3. Crack a chicken egg and separate the yolk from the white. Dip the marinated chicken pieces into the egg white, then coat them generously with cornstarch. Shake off any excess cornstarch.

4. Heat oil in a pan for shallow-frying the chicken. Since I’m cooking at home, I won’t use an electric deep fryer, as it requires more oil. Fry the chicken pieces at about 170°C/340°F until they turn golden brown.

5. Once the chicken pieces have turned golden brown, remove them from the oil and place them in a wire mesh strainer to drain the excess oil, or lay them on paper towels to absorb any remaining oil.

6. Heat the butter over low heat in another pan and add the chopped garlic, bird’s eye chili, and curry leaves. Sauté until they become aromatic. Avoid using high heat as it can burn the butter. 

7. Mash the cooked salted egg yolks and add them to the pan. Increase the heat slightly and continue cooking until the mixture starts to foam. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if needed.

8. Finally, return the fried chicken pieces to the pan and mix them thoroughly with the salted egg yolk sauce. Once everything is combined, transfer it to a serving plate. This dish is best served with steamed rice.

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Salted Egg Yolk Chicken

Yield: 3 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Salted egg yolk chicken is a favorite dish among the Chinese, as it has a delightful explosion of savory, spicy, and aromatic notes.

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Ingredients

Ingredients A (marinate the chicken)

• 400g boneless chicken thighs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp rice wine

Ingredients B (the salted egg sauce)

• 4 salted egg yolks
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 bird's eye chili

Ingredients C (Others)

• 1 egg white
• cornstarch to coat the chicken
• oil for deep-frying
• 20g butter

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into bite-size, about an inch in length. Next, season the chicken with salt, ground white pepper, light soy sauce, Chinese wine, and cornstarch. Set it aside and allow it to marinate for about one hour.
2. Remove the black ashes covering the salted duck eggs and crack them open. Separate the yolks from the whites. Place the yolks in a steamer and steam them for about 5 to 7 minutes until cooked.
3. Crack an egg and separate the yolk from the white. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg white, then coat them generously with cornstarch. Shake off any excess cornstarch.
4. Heat oil in a pan for shallow frying the chicken. Since I'm cooking at home, I won’t use an electric deep fryer, as it consumes more oil. Fry the chicken at about 170°C/340°Funtil it turns golden brown.
5. Once the chicken is golden brown, remove it from the oil and place it in a wire mesh strainer to drain off excess oil, or lay it on a kitchen towel to absorb any remaining oil.
6. Heat the butter over low heat in another pan and add chopped garlic, bird’s eye chili, and curry leaves. Sauté until they become aromatic. Next, mash the cooked egg yolks and add them to the pan. Increase the heat slightly and continue cooking until the mixture starts to foam. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if needed.
7. Finally, return the crispy chicken pieces to the pan and mix them thoroughly with the butter and salted duck egg sauce. Once everything is combined, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a serving plate.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 871Total Fat: 53gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 519mgSodium: 5259mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 73g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 4/12/2024

 Tips to make the best salted duck egg chicken

1. You can use either cornstarch or potato starch for this recipe, as they yield similar results.
2. You don’t need to worry about the salted egg yolks being fully cooked after steaming. The goal is for them to become solid enough to be easily mashed. Since we will cook the salted duck egg yolks again later, it’s okay if they are not fully cooked.
3. You will need to adjust the saltiness of the salted duck egg sauce, as different batches of salted duck eggs may have varying saltiness levels.
4. This recipe has variations where evaporated or sweetened condensed milk is added to the sauce. This will make the sauce much thinner and will provide more sauce to serve with rice. However, the downside is that the added milk will significantly reduce the crispiness of the chicken. This is a trade-off, and in this recipe, I chose not to use condensed or evaporated milk to keep the chicken crispy. It also helps to keep the flavor more intense.
5. Remove as many seeds as possible from the bird’s eye chilies before cooking if you prefer a milder spice level.
6. Curry leaves have a unique flavor that elevates the overall taste of this dish. I understand that they may be difficult to find in some places. You can check the Asian grocery stores or the frozen section of your supermarket. If you can’t find them, you may have to omit them. An alternative is substituting with basil leaves, but the taste profile will differ.
7. I also purchased cooked duck eggs before while I was in New Zealand. In this case, you don’t have to cook the duck eggs. All you have to do is crack it open and separate the white from the yoke.
8. The salted egg whites kept aside can be used for other dishes. Some suggestions include making egg drop soup and Chinese spinach soup.

More salted duck egg recipes for you

If you enjoy this salted egg yolk chicken, here are some more recipes to try:

• Liu Sha Bao (流沙包): This is a Chinese steamed bun filled with salted egg.
• Salted egg shrimp: You can create a similar dish by making shrimp with salted egg.
• Salted egg pastry (咸蛋酥): These flaky pastries satisfy your craving for an afternoon tea treat.