Title: Chicken Chunks with Peanuts in Spicy Sauce
Categories: Poultry, Meats, Sauces, Chinese
Yield: 4 servings
1/2 c Peanuts; raw 1 ea large egg white
3 c Peanut Oil 1 1/2 tb water chestnut flour
2 ea whole chicken breasts at roo
-----------------------------------SAUCE-----------------------------------
4 ea green onions 1/2 tb dark soy sauce
2 ea large cloves garlic 1 1/2 ts chili paste with garlic
1 tb minced ginger root 1 tb dry sherry
1/2 c chicken stock 1 ea pinch sugar
1/2 tb sesame oil 1 ea cornstarch paste
1/2 tb Chinese red vingear
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Preparation: Trim ends off green onions and cut light green and white part
into 1" sections. Mix all other sauce ingredients in 2-quart saucepan.
Reserve.
Pull skin off breasts, then pull chicken meat from bones. Slice meat into
1" strips, then crosswise to make 1" chunks. In bowl large enough to hold
chicken, add egg white to water chestnut flour. Beat mixture with a single
chopstick (not an egg beater or whisk). Stir chicken pieces into egg
mixture to coat thoroughly. Marinate 5 minutes. Note: water chestnut
flour gives a lighter crust than cornstarch, though the latter may be
substituted.
Deep-frying: Heat cooking oil in wok or deep-fryer to medium heat (you'll
need more oil for deep-fryer). Fry peanuts until they are a light tan
color; if a test peanut browns quickly, turn down heat. Remove peanuts
with strainer or slotted spoon; drain on paper towel or paper bag.
Reserve.
Turn up heat slightly for chicken. Test a chunk first: chicken should
raise to surface immediately & brown in about 2 minutes. Deep-fry coated
chicken chunks until golden brown. Deep-fry no more than 8 chunks at a
time. Use long chopsticks or spatula to keep pieces separate while they are
frying. Remove with long chopsticks or slotted spoon. Reserve.
Sauce: While deep-frying chicken, heat sauce to simmer. Add green onions
& peanuts about a minute before serving. At the last minute, add chicken
pieces to sauce, mix quickly & serve.
