Chinese Chicken Fingers With Puffy Crispy Batter
By Noah Bennett
Prep
35 min
Cook
6 min
Total
41 min
Servings
4
Ingredients for four servings can be prepped while cooking the chicken․ Preps for the chicken and egg batter can be done alongside other sweet-and-sour sauce ingredients‚ which will be combined at a later time․ Sweet-and-sour-style chicken fingers are thin strips of chicken breaded with cold batter and cooked until crispy․
Chicken breasts are cut into 1/2-inch strips and coated with cornstarch‚ all-purpose flour‚ baking powder‚ sugar‚ and salt mixed with cold water․ Cornstarch and flour are mixed to make the batter․ Baking powder adds fluff to the batter and helps it come off the chicken․ Ingredients for the sauce include ketchup‚ brown sugar‚ vinegar‚ cornstarch‚ salt‚ and lychee juice․ Pineapple juice may be used instead of lychee juice․
The batter should be smooth and thick‚ with a sticky quality that will adhere onion strips and keep them coated․ Onion strips will fry in 350-degree oil for 6 to 7 minutes until browned and crispy․ The article notes that this longer fry strengthens the shell․ The most frequently mentioned problem related to frying onion strips is a lack of stickiness in the coating‚ which can be solved by adding cornstarch or flour to the batter․
Serve the chicken fingers with cooked sweet and sour sauce․ Premeasure the ingredients for sweet and sour sauce in advance․ Prepare the chicken fingers to order to ensure that the breaded coating‚ which is important to the dish‚ tastes best fresh․
Why you'll love this recipe
- A recipe for four servings provides a good amount to cook at one time․ Chicken strips cut to uniform size will all cook in 6 to 7 minutes when fried․
- Measured sauce ingredients can be prepped ahead of time․ All sauce ingredients are combined in a saucepan for reheating with chicken fingers․
- Cold-water batter can be prepared in one bowl and divided to bread and fry in batches without compromising the light texture of the final product․
- Frying 5 to 7 pieces per batch helps you cook them all evenly․ It prevents the pot from becoming crowded and helps ensure that all pieces are fried evenly․
- The tough crust develops during the 6- to 7-minute frying time to hold the coating in place rather than turning fragile after draining․
- Lychee juice is one main ingredient in the dipping sauce․ Pineapple juice or water are suitable alternatives if you don't have lychee juice on hand․
Ingredients
- •1 lb chicken breasts (3 or 4 pieces)
- •1 cup cornstarch
- •1 cup all-purpose flour
- •2 ½ tsp baking powder
- •1 tbsp sugar
- •1 tsp salt
- •1 ¼ cups cold water
- •2 inches oil (for frying, about 2 inches deep)
- •3 tbsp ketchup
- •6 tbsp brown sugar (firmly packed)
- •3 tbsp white vinegar
- •1 ½ tsp cornstarch (for sweet and sour sauce)
- •½ tsp salt (for sweet and sour sauce)
- •¼ cup lychee juice (from a can of lychees, or pineapple juice)
Instructions
- 1
Cut the chicken breasts into 1/2-inch-thick strips and set aside.
- 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- 3
Whisk in the cold water until you have a smooth batter that is thick enough to coat chicken but slides off slowly; add extra cornstarch or flour as needed.
- 4
Heat about 2 inches of oil to 350°F in a large pot.
- 5
Working one at a time, dip a piece of chicken in the wet batter, shake off excess batter, and lower it into the hot oil.
- 6
Fry about 5 to 7 pieces at a time for 6 to 7 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
- 7
Transfer the fried chicken fingers to a wire rack to drain excess oil.
- 8
For the sweet-and-sour sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
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