This is my take on Almond Boneless Chicken. It's surprisingly simple to make and one of my favorite Chinese-American dishes. The main characteristic is a light and crispy batter that surrounds the chicken. It also comes with a chicken-based gravy and shredded lettuce.
Popular in Detroit, Michigan, the batter for the almond boneless chicken is very unique. It's not as thick and crunchy as regular fried chicken but it's also not as light as tempura batter. I usually describe it as being similar to fish and chips batter. It's thin, crispy, and has a "shattering" quality when you bite into it.
Important ingredients
Chicken thighs
Traditionally, this dish is made with chicken breasts, but for this recipe, I much prefer chicken thighs because they end up way juicier when deep-fried. I think the reason it was originally made with breasts is because Chinese chefs believed Americans preferred white meat over dark meat.
For the thighs, I used a meat mallet to pound them into a thin slice. If you use chicken breasts, you should butterfly them so they are thinner and cook faster.
Batter
For the batter, I'm making a traditional fish and chips-style batter. A mixture of all-purpose flour, rice flour, baking powder, sugar, and beer. The baking powder and beer give the batter lightness and airiness. You can also use club soda or seltzer water.
The key is to not overmix the batter. Aim for it to be mostly smooth, but it's okay if there are a few lumps. The less you mix, the more "shatteringly crisp" the crust will be.
Gravy
The gravy is made with chicken stock, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, cornstarch, and butter. For the chicken stock, I am using chicken bouillon powder and mixing it with water.
You want the sauce to have the consistency of a thin gravy. If it's not thick enough, just cook it for a bit longer to evaporate some of the water.
Important steps to make the chicken
First, heat about 1 inch of oil to 350°F in a high-walled pot. I usually use a Dutch oven for this as it retains heat well, so there are fewer temperature fluctuations.
Dust the chicken pieces with rice flour. This will help the batter stick to them. Then, dip the chicken in the batter and let the excess drip back into the bowl. Slowly lower the chicken into the oil and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.
Use metal tongs to lift out the chicken and let the excess oil drip back into the pot. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack so that air can circulate underneath. This will keep it crispier for longer. Let the oil come back to 350°F before cooking another batch.
When I make this for a big group, I keep my air fryer preheated to 400°F. When I'm done frying all the fish, I reheat the older ones so that they re-crisp up.
Almond Boneless Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken gravy
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon butter
Crispy chicken
- 4 chicken thighs (or breasts)
- 1 cup rice flour (plus more for dusting)
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 (12-ounce) can beer (or soda water)
For serving
- shredded lettuce
- toasted sliced almonds
Instructions
- Make the gravy first and let it sit on low heat while you fry the chicken. In a small saucepan, combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing cooking wine, salt, sugar, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil until it thickens, then stir in the butter. Reduce to the lowest heat setting to keep warm.
- Use a meat mallet to pound thin chicken thighs into ¼-inch thick pieces. If you're using breasts, butterfly them.
- Dry the chicken with a paper towel. Dust them with rice flour (this ensures the batter sticks to them) and shake off any excess.
- In a medium bowl, combine rice flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, and baking powder. Slowly pour in the beer and whisk until combined.
- Heat about 1 inch of oil to 350°F. Dip the chicken in the batter and slowly lower it into the hot oil. Cook both sides for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to drain excess oil.
- Scatter shredded lettuce on the plate. Cut the chicken into slices then place on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle almonds on top and ladle on the gravy. Enjoy!
Hank
This was a tasty recipe - I used breast meat, overall it was very close to what I remember eating out when I lived in Metro Detroit. Some things I modified - the chicken marinated in a small mix of 1 T -Shaoxing and about 1 tsp of oyster sauce mixed well then about 2 hours in the fridge. For the batter, I reduced the qty down and included 1/4 cup of almond flour that I had on hand. Beyond that, the chicken gets fried twice (the chicken tends to weep out moisture after the 1st fry, the second frying takes care of that moisture - They were very tasty. Finally, the gravy tasted good but the Hoisin overpowered the gravy (IMO), so, next time I will reduce the Hoisin sauce and skip the salt and sugar - Thank you for a very good recipe!