Empress Chicken

Empress chicken is here to satisfy all your sweet, savory, and spicy cravings at once! With crispy chicken and a delicate sauce! A perfect weeknight meal!

Course Chicken Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword Empress Chicken, Empress Chicken Recipe, How Do I Make Empress Chicken, How To Make Empress Chicken

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 10

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 374kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

Chicken and Marinade:

1 large egg white
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons vodka
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 pound chicken breast boneless and skinless, cut into 1 inch cubes

Dry Coating:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Sauce:

1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
3-4 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger peeled and grated
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Stir Fry:

1 3/4 cups peanut oil
1 bunch green onions thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 fresh jalapeno seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon
dried red chili flakes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Marinade: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg white (1) until foamy. Stir in soy sauce (2 tablespoons), rice wine vinegar (2 tablespoons), and vodka (2 tablespoons). Pour half of this mixture into a small bowl and set aside. Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 3 tablespoons cornstarch to the half of the marinade remaining in the large bowl. Add chicken pieces (1 pound) and using your hands, toss to coat evenly. Set aside.
Make the Dry Coating: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in reserved egg marinade and mix, breaking up large clumps, until the mixture has coarse, smaller, or granular clumps. Add chicken pieces and using your hands, toss to coat evenly. Press to help the coating adhere. Remove well-coated chicken pieces, shaking off excess coating, and spread out on a wire baking rack. Allow to stand for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, Make the Sauce: Add all sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a wok, heat peanut oil to about 350ºF (177ºC). Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, carefully lower pieces of dry coated chicken into hot oil, and cook, stirring frequently, so pieces don't stick together, monitoring the temperature of the oil and maintaining a temperature of 325-370ºF (163-188ºC). Cook until chicken is cooked about 3-4 minutes. Remove cooked chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and drain well.
Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the wok. With the heat on high until just smoking, add half the green onions, jalapeno, and red chili flakes (1 teaspoon) and cook just until fragrant, about 20-30 seconds. Add the chicken back to the wok along with the sauce and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce has thickened. Garnish with the remaining half of the green onions and a few red pepper flakes and serve.

Notes

What makes the chicken in this empress chicken recipe stand out is a process called “velveting.” To velvet chicken, you marinate the meat in a combination of egg whites, cornstarch, and rice wine. This tenderizes the meat, which is then often blanched to protect the meat from overcooking during the stir-fry.
Too Complicated? If this recipe seems too overwhelming, just think of it as any other chicken stir fry! Seasoned chicken fried and served over rice. Easy peasy!
Breading/Frying: To make sure you fry your chicken as well (and safely!) as you can, here are some of the best tips:
- Don’t skip the resting step. Not only does it let the chicken tenderize, but it also helps the coating ingredients stick.
- You do not need a deep-fryer. You can safely and effectively fry chicken with just a home skillet or wok. Invest in a good cooking thermometer that can clip onto the side of your pot, and monitor the temperature of the oil as you fry. Consistent temperature is critical to cooking the chicken without burning the breading.
Keep it warm. If you need to keep some of the chicken warm while you’re batch-frying, put the cooked pieces on a cookie a sheet and place it in a 250-degree oven.
Wok vs. Skillet: If you don’t have a wok, simply use a large skillet with high, slanted sides. Since there’s less surface area, you’ll just need to avoid overcrowding the pan and cook in batches if necessary. Overcrowding will reduce the temperature of the oil significantly, and you’ll have soggy, greasy chicken instead of the delicate, crispy morsels we’re after.
Skip the Chicken: Substitute a pound of peeled and deveined shrimp for the chicken in this dish, and you’ll shave off a few of the Empress Chicken calories.
Carrots: You can add a small handful of commercially grated carrots to the dish for more visual appeal and increased nutrition. I like the coarse texture of the all ready bagged shredded carrots.
Optional Garnish: This is also lovely with a light sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Nutrition