Author Notes
Indisputably the most popular Chinese-American dish around these parts, Almond Boneless Chicken is actually just fried chicken with a soy based gravy. But it's comforting and so good that I had to learn to make it myself. I think this recipe is the best I've ever had! —inpatskitchen
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Ingredients
- For the gravy
-
2 teaspoons
peanut or vegetable oil
-
2
cloves minced garlic
-
2 tablespoons
oyster sauce
-
3 tablespoons
soy sauce
-
4 cups
chicken broth
-
1
8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
-
3 to 4 tablespoons
cornstarch mixed with about 5 tablespoons water to make a slurry
-
2 to 3 ounces of sliced almonds
- For the chicken and putting it all together
-
4
6 to 8 ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts
-
1 cup
white rice flour
-
1/2 cup
all purpose flour
-
8 to 10 ounces
club soda
-
1
egg, beaten
-
1/2 teaspoon
salt
-
1/4 teaspoon
white pepper
-
Vegetable or peanut oil for pan frying
-
A handful of snow or sugar snap peas
-
The gravy
-
The reserved sliced almonds
-
Shredded lettuce(iceberg is traditional) and hot cooked rice for serving
Directions
- For the gravy
-
In a sauce pan, heat the oil and gently saute the garlic for a minute or so until it becomes fragrant. Add the oyster and soy sauces, along with the chicken broth and water chestnuts.
-
Bring the mixture up to the boil. Crush all but about 2 tablespoons of the sliced almonds.(you'll use those for garnish) and add the crushed ones to the pan. Stir in the slurry and whisk to thicken. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- For the chicken and putting it all together
-
Whisk together the 2 flours, salt and pepper. Whisk the beaten egg with a few ounces of the club soda and then whisk that into the flour mixture, adding more club soda as needed to make a relatively thin batter.
-
Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise in half or thirds, depending on their size. Heat the oil in a large skillet, dip each piece of chicken into the batter and fry for about three minutes on each side until lightly golden. Place the pieces of chicken on a baking sheet and bake in a 400F oven for about 15 minutes.
-
While the chicken is baking, re heat the gravy to boiling and stir in the snow or sugar snap peas.
-
Plate each serving by placing a scoopful of hot rice down and then some shredded lettuce over. Place 2 or 3 pieces of the chicken on top followed by the gravy and garnished with a few sliced almonds. Pass more soy sauce if desired.
I think I get my love for food and cooking from my mom, who was an amazing cook. She would start baking and freezing a month before Christmas in order to host our huge open house on Christmas afternoon. I watched and I learned...to this day I try not to procrastinate when it comes to entertaining.
My cooking style is pretty much all over the place, although I'm definitely partial to Greek and Italian cuisine. Oh yes, throw a little Cajun in there too!
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