EMPRESS CHICKEN
Empress chicken is one of the most delicious recipes which is made for royal families. But it's super easy to make. Here we go through all the details to make this super delicious weeknight meal!
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade:
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 1 large egg white
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vodka
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Dry Coating:
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Sauce:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
- 3-4 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger peeled and grated
Stir Fry:
- 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
- 1 fresh jalapeno seeded and chopped
- 1 bunch green onions thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 1 3/4 cups peanut oil
Instructions
Make the Marinade
- In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites until slightly foamy. Mix soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and vodka. Pour half of the mixture into a small bowl and set aside. In the large bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch to the remaining marinade. Add the chicken pieces and coat evenly using your hands. Set aside.
Make the Dry Coating:
- In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix the separated egg marinade and break up large clusters until the mixture is thick, small or clumpy. Add the chicken pieces and coat evenly using your hands. Press to help glue coating Remove the well-coated chicken pieces, shake off the excess coating, and place on a wire baking rack. Allow to stand for 10-15 minutes.
Make the Sauce:
- In a small bowl, add all the sauce ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
- Heat the peanut oil in a pan to 350 degrees. Working in groups so as not to crowd the pans, carefully lower the dry-coated chicken pieces into the hot oil, cooking, stirring frequently, to ensure that the pieces do not stick together, to monitor the temperature of the oil and to maintain a temperature of 325-370 degrees. Cook the chicken for about 3-4 minutes. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate covered with paper towels and drain well.
- Remove all but one tablespoon of oil from the wok. When oil is just start smoking, Add half of the raw onion, jalapeno and red chilli pods and cook for 20-30 seconds. Add the chicken back to the wok with the sauce and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce thickens. Garnish with the remaining half of the green onions and a few red peppe flakes and serve.