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Korean Fried Chicken Fingers

Korean Fried Chicken Fingers

I'm just an oversized kid, and like most youngsters, I love fried chicken fingers. None are better than these Korean-style strips, which are made extra crispy using a double-frying technique. Pair them with my authentic dipping sauce (for adventurous eaters who don't mind heat) or your favorite sweet-and-sour sauce, and round out the meal with steamed rice and a side of snap peas or snow peas.

Serves: 6

Hands-on Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes plus marinating time

Ingredients

FOR THE CHICKEN AND MARINADE:

  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed with a garlic press
  • 1/2 cup minced scallion
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 8 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each sliced lengthwise into three strips (I like to pound them lightly into uniform pieces)

FOR THE BATTER:

  • Oil for frying
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 3/4 cup cold water

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Add the chicken and marinate it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, but as long as overnight.
  2. Fill a heavy, deep pan with two inches of vegetable oil and heat it to 350°. Combine the dry ingredients for the batter. Quickly whisk in the water until the mixture is evenly blended.
  3. Use tongs or a pair of chopsticks to dip and coat the chicken in the batter. Fry the strips in batches of six for 5 to 7 minutes, then drain them on paper towels.
  4. Heat the oil to 380°. Fry the chicken in batches once more until crisp, about 60 to 90 seconds. Place the cooked chicken fingers on fresh paper towels and sprinkle them with salt. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Tips:

Heat things up by cooking a batch of my spicy red-pepper dipping sauce.

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