The One Dish... Page 2

Posted By: jglass

Mar 1 # 6 of 18

The Ironic Chef wrote:

Chinese Boneless Crispy Chicken Breast with vegetables.

Around here it's a standard item on any Chinese menu. The chicken is a breast cutlet and there is a crispy crust on the exterior. I have tried to make this so many times in the past 30 years. I have tried so many different types of tempuras like they use for sweet and sour pork and chicken. I have tried rice flour, I have tried egg whites and corn starch, I have tried different dredges, I have tried different coating combinations. The perfection of this dish eludes me. The closest I have come is with the egg whites and corn starch. Most Chinese restaurants get these chicken fillets frozen and just deep fry them.
I have searched countless hours for the recipe, lol. It's like a secret guarded ancient Chinese recipe.

I don't think I have ever seen that one around here at the chinese restaurants but I always get the buffet. It may be on their menu.

Posted By: Cook Chatty Cathy

Mar 1 # 7 of 18

IC I can relate to your frustration re: getting that chicken fried just right! Frying at home is a big old pain-in-the-neck! I guess there is no way to have that deep vat of hot grease with the heat just so at home. I have tried all the stuff you have and ice cold freezing water in my batter & all to no avail. At home you can not control the heat well enough, as you add cold food to the container you are frying in the heat fluxuates too much and unless you are willing to fry 1 piece at a time I just do not think we can get the same results. I have never had a Fry Daddy and often wondered if I got one of those if it would make a difference. But I just never have broke down and bought one. When I fry it seems to be OK just out of the grease but if you let it sit for even just a little longer to finish up the rest of what you're frying it gets soggy and the crust is not near as crispy. Oh well that's what the restaurants have to offer and that we can not get it exactly like that at home.

Posted By: The Ironic Chef

Mar 2 # 8 of 18

Cathy, when I do Americas Test Kitchen 's version of fried chicken, where you add a bit of buttermilk and baking powder to the dredging material, and after frying it, placing it on a wire mesh rack placed on a baking sheet, place it in the oven at 200*, it does keep the chicken crispy.
The Chinese boneless chicken is actually served in a container over steaming hot vegetables and sauce and lidded. To stay crispy in that container with the steam says so much about the batter used.

Posted By: Cook Chatty Cathy

Mar 2 # 9 of 18

There is alot of work to keeping it crispy:) But lidded and with a sauce to boot, well all I can say is WOW!

Posted By: cookingwithliz

Mar 3 # 10 of 18

Lard in itself is not all bad. It is lower in saturated fat the butter. True lard is not easy to find. Most of the lard we have has been hydrogenated. Hydrogenation is the source for trans fats. Crisco claims they have a new no trans fat formula??
On a different note...My grandmother had a recipe for the best biscuits ever, they were made with mayonnaise. Has anyone seen a recipe with mayo used in biscuits? I have lost her recipe.