Description
A comforting and flavorful dish featuring crispy chicken coated in a sweet and spicy sauce, perfect for weeknight dinners or entertaining.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 large egg whites
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil (for frying)
- ⅔ cup hoisin sauce
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 1½ teaspoons cornstarch (for thickening sauce)
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, and 1½ teaspoons cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large zip-top bag, combine ½ cup cornstarch, ½ cup all-purpose flour, a generous pinch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the 2 egg whites until frothy.
- Add the chicken pieces to the egg whites and toss to coat evenly. Lift each piece to let excess drip off, then transfer chicken to the zip-top bag. Seal and shake until all pieces are evenly coated.
- Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add coated chicken pieces in a single layer without crowding. Cook 2–3 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Pour the prepared sauce into the same skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until it thickens and becomes glossy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Return the fried chicken to the pan and toss to coat evenly in the sauce. Heat together for 1 minute to meld flavors. Serve immediately over hot rice.
Notes
For extra-crispy chicken, double-fry; drain, rest, then quickly re-fry before tossing in sauce. Use a thermometer to ensure oil temperature is around 350°F.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 560
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 820mg
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 46g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 38g
- Cholesterol: 0mg