egg cornstarch breadng

I have a sweet and sour recipe where the chicken pieces are coated with
cornstarch and dipped in egg. I have tried it once and I need some
guidance. First of all...why does it have to even have breading if it is browned on all sides ? This procedure was incredibly
messy and it mostly fell off after cooking. Help !

Carolyn
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  • 3 Comments

3 Comments

Carolyn May 3, 2014
I will need to look-up ""velveting"". I followed the
recipe exactly although I did run out and had to
make another batch of it. I used 4 very healthy sized
breasts. What is the purpose of the breading?

Thanks
 
rachelib May 3, 2014
Sounds like velveting. I believe it keeps the chicken from getting tough. While it can be messy, I've not had a problem falling off. Perhaps the ratio of egg to cornstarch wasn't quite right
 
TobiT May 3, 2014
There was a very delicious orange chicken recipe on Food52 about 5-6 months ago. It called for a similar breading technique, but with the cornstarch blended with seltzer water and something else I think. The breading stayed on no problem, so you might want to search that out I don't know the chemistry or reasons behind doing it this way, and I agree that this is not the healthiest of techniques, but it DID make for some awesomely crispy, fluffy and decadent orange chicken. My kids loved it. .my husband initially dismissed it as American Chinese food dreck, but he secretly loved it too.
 
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