Chinese Chicken Balls
Chicken balls are one of my favorite dishes at Chinese takeout or the buffet. This is my simple method to get it perfect every time.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts (3 or 4 pieces)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup + 3 tablespoons cold water
Sweet and sour sauce
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup lychee juice from a can of lychees (or pineapple juice)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine all the sweet and sour sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil then set aside.
- Chop the chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. The rounder the shape, the better.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the cold water until you have a smooth and thick batter. The consistency should be similar to pancake batter without the bubbles. Add extra water or flour as necessary.
- Heat about 2 inches of oil to 365°F in a Dutch oven. Working one at a time, dip a piece of chicken in the batter, shake off excess, and lower into the hot oil. Fry 6-8 balls at a time for 6-7 minutes, flipping frequently so they puff up evenly, until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a wire rack to drain excess oil.
- Reheat the sweet and sour sauce then serve.
- For extra-crispy chicken balls, you can double-fry them at 400°F for one minute.