Chinese Chicken Fingers (Takeout style)
These taste just like the ones you get from Chinese takeout. Most recipes use self-rising flour in the batter, but in my experiments, baking powder worked just as good.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts (3 or 4 pieces)
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups cold water
Sweet and sour sauce
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup lychee juice from a can of lychees (or pineapple juice)
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts into ½-inch thick strips and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Whisk in the cold water until you have a smooth batter. The consistency should be thick enough to coat a piece of chicken but slide off of it slowly. Add extra cornstarch or flour as needed.
- Heat about 2 inches of oil to 350°F in a large pot. Working one at a time, dip a piece of chicken in the wet batter, shake off excess batter, then lower it into the hot oil. Fry about 5-7 pieces at a time for 6-7 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a wire rack to drain excess oil.
- For the sweet and sour sauce, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Enjoy!