Salt & Pepper Chips (2024)

Salt & Pepper Chips are a British Chinese takeaway essential and now you can make them at home! They’re really simple to make with a homemade salt & pepper seasoning – the perfect addition to so many Asian dishes or fake aways.

what are salt & Pepper chips?

Salt & pepper chips are a British Chinese takeaway classic. Although other countries might think chips have no place in Chinese food, us Brits think otherwise!

Salt & pepper chips were invented by Chinese immigrants that owned fish and chip shops in Liverpool in the 1960s. They combined chips with salt and pepper seasoning, peppers and onions to make a dish we all know and love.

So although the dish was invented by Chinese people, it isn’t an authentic Chinese dish. It is a fusion of Chinese and British cuisines.

Which salt & pepper seasoning is recommended to use?

Of course, I recommend that you use my homemade Chinese salt & pepper seasoning. I think it is extremely similar to my local Chinese takeaway which is why I can’t get enough of it!

I also think it is better to make your own because you know exactly what is in it. You can also adjust it to your preferences too.

If you do want to buy it instead, I’ve seen shops like Home Bargains sell it but I’m not sure if supermarkets do. You will be able to find it online if you can’t find it in any shops near to you.

If you aren’t in the UK, making your own will probably be your best option. You might also be able to find it online too.

Which chips are best to use?

Although I love a homemade chip, I do tend to use shop bought chips for this recipe. They are incredibly convenient and work really well for salt & pepper chips.

I use straight cut chips, but you can use whichever you prefer. I wouldn’t use any flavoured fries or wedges as these would clash with the salt and pepper seasoning.

How is best to cook the chips

I think the best way to cook the chips is in an air fryer if you have one. It is my go-to appliance for cooking any chips. An air fryer is quicker than using an oven and gets the chips perfectly crisp.

You can of course oven cook your chips and they will work just as well. If you want you could also deep fry your chips like they are probably cooked in Chinese takeaways.

can you cook salt & pepper chips in an air fryer?

Although I recommend cooking the chips in the air fryer, I do think they are best finished off in a wok or pan.

When I was developing this recipe, I did try cooking it completely in the air fryer. Unfortunately it just wasn’t the same. The vegetables tasted much better after being cooked in a pan rather than air fried.

customise your chips

Salt & pepper chips vary across the country depending on your Chinese takeaway. Some takeaways call them salt & chilli chips instead but they are all essentially the same thing.

I’m not a fan of onions so I used spring onions instead of white onions. White onions are more common so you can absolutely use those if you prefer.

I add chillies as a garnish because I’m not looking for heat from my salt & pepper chips. If you like yours with a kick, you can add chillies with the rest of the vegetables so they are dispersed through the chips.

If you want a stronger salt & pepper taste, you can add more of the seasoning. Just go easy as the seasoning has quite a lot of salt in it and you don’t want to make them too salty.

Can you reheat these chips?

Salt & pepper chips are best eaten as soon as they have been cooked. If you do have leftover chips, you can reheat them but they won’t be quite as good as when they were freshly cooked.

The best way to reheat them to get the same crispness would be in the air fryer for 3-4 minutes at 180C. You don’t want to reheat them at too high of a temperature or else the vegetables might become too crisp.

You could also reheat them in the microwave if you aren’t bothered about them not being crisp.

how to serve salt & pepper chips

Typically I would serve these chips as part of a fake away style dinner. Who needs a takeaway when you can make everything yourself?!

Try these dishes along with the salt & pepper chips:

• Chicken Chow Mein
• Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken
• Chicken & Pineapple
• Chicken Chow Fun

I have also been known to eat just a bowl of these chips or with some salt & pepper wings. So you eat them however you would like!

Other recipes you might like

• Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Fries
• Air Fryer Potato Wedges
• Homemade Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
• Air Fryer Herby Potatoes
• Air Fryer New Potatoes

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