Chinese Salt and Pepper Chips Recipe (2024)

Published on January 16, 2020 by Helen Best-Shaw 32 Comments
Last Updated on June 8, 2022

Chinese salt and pepper chips (or salt and chilli chips) is a takeaway comfort food favourite. Make them at home in minutes for the freshest, healthiest version you will find.

Chips with Everything

Chinese salt and pepper chips is one of those wonderful fusion dishes that would probably look completely baffling in China. (I suppose it would be British salt and pepper chips there.)

Never mind the fact that London’s first China Town grew up in the 1880s. When restaurants serving Chinese food started to grow in popularity after World War II, they had to adapt their food for conservative local palates. That often meant serving chips to those least willing to experiment.

Over the years, of course, we have all become a bit more adventurous. That’s how this dish of good old British chips with a Chinese twist came into being. Salt and pepper chips are sold up and down the country in Chinese takeaways. As always, though, we like to make our own.

Why Make Chinese Salt and Pepper Chips?

These Chinese salt and pepper chips are great fun and make the perfect dirty fakeaway. Full of flavour, this is the ideal comfort food for when you want to relax at home after a hard day at work.

You could, of course, call out for takeaway but why would you? It’s so much better and cheaper to make your own. Your chips will be hotter, fresher and crisper, and it only takes five minutes hands-on time when you use frozen oven chips. It couldn’t be easier.

Why you will love this recipe

• It is so tasty – perfect comfort food.
• Far cheaper than ordering in, and fresher, with crispier chips.
• No additives or artificial ingredients.
• Adjust the spicing to suit your own taste.

How to Make Salt and Pepper Chips

Step One – Grab the ingredients. You need oven chips, a small onion, green and red chillies, Chinese five spice powder, sea salt and a spring onion.

Step Two – Turn the oven on and put your usual sized portion of chips in to cook. I get crisper chips by cooking oven chips on a mesh tray.

Step Three – Peel the onion and chop. Chop up the chillies, discarding the seeds and membranes to remove some of the heat.

Step Four – Fry the onion and chillies for a few minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Step Five – Add the five spice powder and sea salt flakes. Cook for another minute. Remove from the heat until the chips have cooked.

Step Six – Once the chips are ready, reheat the onion, chilli and spice mixture. Then add the chips and chopped spring onions to the pan. Give a quick stir to coat the chips with the spice mix.

Serve your Chinese salt and pepper chips immediately, while they are still hot and crisp.

Salt and Chilli Chips Hints, Tips and Variations

• To save time next time, dice any extra chillies and onion. Freeze them in an airtight box and then fry from frozen.
• Remove the seeds and membranes to take some heat out of the chillies.
• Use salt flakes rather than ground salt – you want the texture and extra crunch.
• You want proper chip-shop fat chips for these – not skinny fries
• For crisper chips try baking on a mesh tray. These only cost a couple of pounds, last for years and go through the dishwasher without any trouble. They really make a difference to the result.
• Not all brands of five spice blend are the same – read the label as many of them are packed with sugar. Shop around until you find one you like, because the flavours vary dramatically.
• These Chinese salt and pepper chips are best served fresh. You can reheat them on a baking tray, but please don’t, as the results are disappointing.
• Serve these with hot sauce for an extra kick: – chilli sauce, curry sauce, peri peri sauce.

These are perfect followed by a lemon posset which contrasts nicely with the spice!

More delicious recipes using fries

• Masala chips
• Dirty Fries
• Garlic Chips
• Cheesy Chips

You will love some more British takeaway classics

• Pilau Rice
• Nandos Spicy Rice
• Indian Recipes

We love ‘fakeaways’, ditching the costly carry out for fresher homemade versions where we know exactly what we are eating. If you feel the same, why not try my easy Chinese chicken curry or this chow mein recipe, which can be made with chicken, tofu or other meats?