Chinese Chicken Nuggets

Chinese chicken nuggets just like they sell at the restaurant only much cheaper!

Who doesn’t love the appetizers in a Chinese restaurant or take out?  Especially the chicken nuggets and popcorn shrimp.

Trouble is, they are pretty pricy. Why pay that when you can make them better and cheaper at home?

These chicken nuggets are very easy to make. OK, batter dipping them is a bit messy, but it’s oh-so worth it. Thankfully, the batter contains no eggs so cleaning up your hands, messy as they’ll get, is pretty easy–the batter will just disappear under warm running water.

I suggest frying these nuggets in a wok or a basket-less deep fryer (like a Fry Daddy). I used my pro fryer with the mesh basket and the nuggets pretty much stuck to the basket and were a pain to dislodge–you will have no such trouble in a wok!

The batter, which can also be used on shrimp, is stupidly easy and with few ingredients. The key is you must let this batter sit for at least 30 minutes so the baking powder does it’s magic. The batter is so delicious, it’s even good by itself. I was picking the stuck-on batter off the wire basket once it was cool enough and truth be told, I could have made a meal out of that fried batter. I was thinking I was a massive slob doing that but got over it quickly because the stuff was delicious!!!

These are perfect dipped in duck sauce or my pot sticker dipping sauce which is in step 7 of the linked recipe.

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Chinese Chicken Nuggets

Chinese chicken nuggets just like they sell at the restaurant only much cheaper!

Prep Time35 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Appetizers, Chicken

Cuisine: American, Chinese

Keyword: chicken nuggets

Servings: 4 -8

Calories: 173kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 lb total)
• 5 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• oil for frying--DO NOT USE OLIVE OIL see NOTES

BATTER

• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dark sesame oil
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbs water

Instructions

• Mix all batter ingredients in a small bowl; let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes.
• Pour enough oil into a wok or dutch oven so you have 2-inches of oil in the pan measured up the side of the pan.
• Heat oil to 350 degrees F.
• Place cornstarch and white pepper in a plastic bag; shake to mix.
• Add chicken to this bag and toss to coat the chicken with the cornstarch mixture.
• Remove half the chicken and place it in the bowl with the batter; coat well. You will have to fry in 2 shifts (or more depending on the size of your pan) because of the amount of chicken.
• Place chicken piece by piece into the hot oil.
• Fry for 4-5 minutes. Repeat with remaining chicken
• Cooked chicken may be kept warm in a 200 degree F oven (see NOTES)
• Chicken will serve 4 as a main, 8 as an appetizer

Notes

You need an oil with a high smoke point to deep fry. Peanut, canola & vegetable oils are good. Olive oil is o-u-t for deep frying because it has a low smoke point.

Place cooked chicken on a wire cooling rack set in a large baking sheet. Using paper towels will make this soggy. Using a rack so air can circulate keeps fried foods crispy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 478mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 1mg

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