Sticky Spicy Fried Chicken Fingers
Merging Thai flavors with Chinese cooking technique, these sticky spicy fried chicken fingers dish is decidedly Asian. Serve as finger food or as main dish with rice.
Ingredients
For the fried chicken fingers
- 6 chicken thigh fillets
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 stalk lemongrass minced
- ¾ cup tapioca starch or corn or potato starch
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup beer well chilled
- 2 to 3 cups cooking oil for frying
For the sticky spicy sauce
- 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1/3 cup Sriracha ketchup I used the Rooster brand
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce I used Kikkoman
- drizzle sesame seed oil
Instructions
- Pat the chicken fillets dry with paper towels.
- Cut the fillets into strips about half an inch wide (see notes after the recipe).
- Place the chicken fingers in a bowl. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Mix well.
- In another bowl, stir together the starch, flour, baking powder and beer to make a pourable batter.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan to a temperature of 350F.
- Dip each chicken strip in batter then drop into the hot oil.
- Cook for four to five minutes, rolling the battered chicken fingers in the hot oil, until golden and crisp. Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding.
- Pour off the oil from the pan.
- Pour in the sweet chili sauce, Sriracha ketchup and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the battered chicken fingers to the sauce. Cook, tossing, to coat all the chicken fingers with sauce.
- Turn off the heat. Drizzle in the sesame seed oil. Toss a few times.
- Serve the sticky spicy fried chicken fingers at once.
Notes
If you’re wondering if chicken tenders can be substituted for the chicken thigh fillets, the answer is a resounding yes.
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