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Special Ingredients - None

Special Equipment - Chinese Take-Out Boxes

Recipe

Marinade:

1 egg white, beaten

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine

2 tablespoons vodka

3 tablespoons arrowroot powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Dry Breading:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup arrowroot powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Sauce:

4 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons chicken stock

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

2 teaspoons avocado oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 teaspoons minced scallions

1 teaspoon sesame oil

5-8 chili peppers, ideally dried arbol

Chicken:

1-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces.

Start by cutting your chicken and setting it aside.

To make the marinade, beat together your foamy egg whites, soy sauce, wine, and vodka. Reserve half of this marinade for later. To the other half, add arrowroot powder and baking soda and whisk to combine. Add the chicken to this bowl, cover with Saran Wrap, and set aside.

Heat avocado or peanut oil (approximately 1 quart) to 350ºF in a wok, dutch oven, or other frying vessel. As that is heating up, mix together flour, arrowroot powder, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the reserved marinade and mix into the dry ingredients with a fork.

Bread the chicken pieces one at a time and gently set them into the oil. Fry-time should be 4-5 minutes before golden brown. Bread and fry the chicken in batches that doesn’t overwhelm the oil. As the chicken finishes cooking, remove with a slotted spoon and put them onto a wire rack over a baking sheet. The chicken can be kept in a 250ºF oven while you finish the recipe.

To make the sauce, combine sugar, chicken stock, soy sauce, wine, vinegar, arrowroot powder, and sesame oil in a bowl.

In a wok or frying pan, add avocado oil and heat on medium-high. To the oil, add the minced garlic, ginger, scallions, and chili peppers. Stir-fry those until the onion and garlic start to turn lightly golden brown.

Reduce heat to medium and gently add the sauce to the pan. Whisk vigorously to incorporate everything and bring to a simmer. The sauce will thicken quickly; about 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add the fried chicken pieces to the sauce. With a wooden spoon, fold the chicken into the sauce so that it is completely coated. Don’t over-mix to avoid damaging the chicken.

Serve with white rice, roasted broccoli, and garnished with fresh diced scallions, slices of garlic, and one of the chili peppers.