Spice Bag Recipe

Few meals have captured my consideration like Dublin’s iconic spice bag. After I arrived within the Irish capital on trip in 2023, a chef buddy insisted that I search one out after having fun with a number of pints. Nothing, she mentioned, would take in the Guinness fairly in addition to this spicy, salty, tingly culinary mashup—and she or he was proper. A comparatively new entrant into Eire’s culinary canon, the spice bag is tough to explain: It is fried hen and potatoes in a spicy Sichuan sauce, however is a lot greater than the sum of its elements. 

The origins of the spice bag are murky. Based on The Irish Occasions, it was first made at a Dublin takeout spot (or takeaway, in Irish and English parlance) known as the Sunflower, the place staff devised the dish for his or her employees meal: the form of crunchy, fried fare you would possibly crave after a protracted day at work. It rapidly unfold throughout the town, popping up on takeaway restaurant menus. Now, locals and vacationers alike rave concerning the dish, which has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram. The most well-liked iteration may be discovered at Xi’an Avenue Meals, a Dublin Sichuan restaurant additionally identified for its spicy biang biang noodles. 

I used to be half-drunk on the road at midnight in Dublin after I encountered my very first spice bag—crunchy fried hen and thick, fluffy chips tossed in a magically tingly mix of spices, plus a aspect of curry sauce through which to slather each—and it was a revelation. Strips of fried onion and candy pepper added pops of brightness, essential once you’re consuming this type of fried-on-fried fare. After I returned to Dublin in 2025, Xi’an’s spice bag was the very first thing on my thoughts, and I am not ashamed to confess that I ate one two nights in a row within the consolation of my lodge room within the Temple Bar neighborhood. 

After I obtained again to the States, I used to be decided to recreate the spice bag in my very own kitchen. Although some eating places, together with Bar Snack in New York Metropolis, serve spice luggage, the dish hasn’t caught on broadly in American eateries but, so I am unable to simply head to a close-by Irish pub and count on it to be on the menu.

Ever a meticulous researcher, I browsed TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit boards for recipe inspiration—however I wasn’t significantly thrilled with what I discovered. Some advised utilizing paprika and primary crimson pepper flakes because the spice base, which simply did not sq. with the nose-dripping warmth I encountered at Dublin’s Xi’an Avenue Meals. Armed with a number of poorly lit images of the spice luggage I would ordered in Eire and fond reminiscences of their taste, I got down to recreate the dish within the consolation of my own residence.

My first cease was my native department of the Asian grocery retailer 99 Ranch Market, the place I stocked up on complete Sichuan peppercorns, spicy crimson chili flakes, and Chinese language five-spice. I additionally snagged white pepper and a jar of chili crisp, realizing that the spice luggage I had in Dublin had been coated in a crimson oil that tasted very similar to it. From there, I spent days sneezing after filling my kitchen with the aromatic aroma of freshly floor Sichuan peppercorns, and determining precisely how a lot sugar was required to stability all that tingly warmth.

The ensuing recipe, in my view, is the closest you may get to a Dublin spice bag in your house kitchen. It is usually endlessly adaptable—should you do not feel like frying your individual hen, frozen hen nuggets are completely appropriate. The identical goes for the British-style chips. Should you’re not within the temper to chop, blanch, and fry your individual potatoes, a bag of frozen steak fries out of your grocery store will get you about 99% of the best way there. The one non-negotiables are the spice blendand the chili oil, plus the short stir-fry on the finish to carry all these flavors collectively.

Getting the Spice Mix Proper

The primary and maybe most essential step is getting the spice mix collectively. It needs to be salty, savory, tingly, and spicy, with a touch of sweetness. I coarsely grind the peppercorns, then combine them with the garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, sugar, and MSG. I additionally add slightly powdered hen bouillon, reminiscent of Knorr, to spice up the savory taste. After you’ve got made the mix, I extremely suggest tasting and adjusting to your most popular degree of spice. I like my meals on the spicier aspect, however you possibly can completely use fewer chili flakes should you discover the warmth too aggressive.

Prepping the Curry Sauce

The primary and maybe most essential step is getting the spice mix collectively. It needs to be salty, savory, tingly, and spicy, with a touch of sweetness. I coarsely grind the peppercorns, then combine them with the garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, sugar, and MSG. I additionally add slightly powdered hen bouillon, reminiscent of Knorr, to spice up the savory taste. After you’ve got made the mix, I extremely suggest tasting and adjusting to your most popular degree of spice. I like my meals on the spicier aspect, however you possibly can completely use fewer chili flakes should you discover the warmth too aggressive.

Nailing the Rooster (Sure, Retailer-Purchased Nuggets Are Superb)

I’ll admit that I want the simple model of this recipe, made with frozen nuggets and fries. There’s something particular about taking a few luggage of meals out of the freezer and reworking them into one thing astronomically higher. I sometimes put together the nuggets within the air fryer; as a result of the equipment is actually a mini convection oven, it does an awesome job of coaxing out a crunchy texture nearly as successfully as sizzling oil. 

If I really feel like going all-out, I make former Critical Eats editor Kenji’s recipe for crisp, soy-marinated Japanese-style karaage. Karaage, which is coated in a mix of flour and cornstarch, is a good selection as a result of its craggy exterior is ideal for grabbing all these bits of spice and chili oil. 

No matter whether or not you go the store-bought or home made route, you possibly can make sure the hen stays crunchy by setting the oven to 300°F (150°C) and inserting the fried hen inside when you end making ready your chips.

Making the Chips

Whereas the hen is frying, I carry a second pot of water to a boil to start out making senior editor Genevieve’s British-style chips, skipping the non-compulsory freezer step for time’s sake. It is essential to fry the hen first, as a result of it is sturdy sufficient to remain crunchy when you make the potatoes.  Should you do not feel like making chips from scratch, going the store-bought route is, as soon as once more, completely nice. You can use the air fryer to cook dinner your chips, however in my testing, I discovered that the equipment simply did not do pretty much as good a job with the fries—it typically dried them out, and I might by no means get them fairly as crispy as I like. So I want to deep-fry the fries, even when I’m beginning with store-bought.

Placing It All Collectively

As soon as each the nuggets and the chips are out of the oil (or the air fryer), I sprinkle them liberally with the spice mix and toss them evenly to make sure they’re evenly coated. Doing this after they’re contemporary out of the oil helps these spices stick. Should you neglect this step, although, it is OK—you possibly can all the time add extra of the spice bag seasoning once you’re stir-frying. One factor that’s nice concerning the spice mix is that the recipe makes a ton, which implies you will have sufficient for a lot of future spice luggage. 

As soon as the hen and chips have been tossed within the spice mix, essentially the most enjoyable a part of the method begins: stir-frying the whole lot collectively. You may wish to haul that huge wok out of your cupboard, as a result of you are going to want loads of room to maneuver all these substances round. After including a number of tablespoons of oil to your wok and letting it get ripping sizzling, you will toss within the veggies and fry them for a couple of minutes earlier than tossing within the hen and fries. Then it is only a matter of including extra spices and the chili crisp and rapidly tossing the whole lot collectively till it is evenly coated. 

Now that the whole lot’s completed within the wok, it is time to plate your spice bag. You can, after all, special-order foil-lined luggage from Amazon to copy the true Dublin expertise, or you might simply pile the entire thing onto plates and douse your bounty in that curry sauce. Both manner, you are going to have a superb time.