Menu today:
Fried chicken tenders with orange jasmine rice and vegetable stir fry.
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Chicken tenders were on sale, so that's where today's meal is coming from, although if you have any part of of the chicken, you can use that meat in place of the tenders.
The chicken tender is that strip of meat lying under the breast itself, the pectoralis minor muscle.
I bought the strips already stripped, but if you have the whole breast, you can easily tear this part away from the main. Be sure to remove that white tendon running the length. It's tough.
Chicken and Marinade
2 knobs of ginger (a knob being almost an inch cube), juiced and minced
2 garlic cloves
2 TB Mirin
2 TB Soy sauce
Rosie Note: Whenever making a marinade for something, know that the ingredient amounts are always subject to change and variation. Remember to taste-test as you go along and adjust accordingly. The amounts I've given you merely serve as a starting point. You can modify it for your palate.
Rosie Note: About that ginger: You won't get juice by pressing a raw piece of ginger. What I do is buy the ginger root, cut it into cubes, then freeze it. When your recipe calls for ginger juice, nuke a few cubes until soft. 15 - 20 seconds. Depends on cube size and microwave. Then simply press ginger with your fingers to release the juice. I use a garlic press next to extract any residual juice and to scrape any pulp left on the press.
As for the garlic, I don't use a garlic press. I finely mince with a knife.
Now, mix everything together.
Place tenders in the marinade and let bathe about an hour.
Prepare the wet batter:
Puffy Batter
6 TB cornstarch
4 TB flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
7-8 TB cold club soda
Mix all ingredients until smooth.
Remove chicken strip from marinade, letting excess drip off, then drop in batter. Tong strips into hot oil and do not crowd the pan. Fry hot and quick.
Fry in 375°- 400° in 9" skillet, 2 minutes, turn halfway.
Drain on rack, not paper towels.
Sweet Topping
Brown sugar
honey
soy sauce
toasted sesame seeds
And here's the good part: While chicken strips are still hot, sprinkle brown sugar and drizzle honey over top. Add a few drops soy sauce, then sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds.
Serve with orange jasmine rice.
When I cook rice I usually want to flavor it with something that complements and enhances my main meal. For the chicken tenders I thought an orange flavor in the background would be nice.
When I cooked my rice (You can use jasmine, basmati, or jasmati ), I used both salted chicken stock and orange juice as my liquids instead of plain water. Also, I grated orange zest into the cooking liquid as well. When rice is almost done, I first taste test for seasoning and add more salt, if necessary. Throw a big plop of butter in the middle, cover it up, and let it bathe in butter.
Lastly, in the scheme of things, you want to do the stir fry: sautéed sliced mushrooms, onions, snow peas, garlic, and ginger.
Ingredients for batter:
6 TB cornstarch
4 TB flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
7-8 TB cold club soda
Mix all ingredients until smooth.
For the stir fry: mushrooms, snow peas, onions, garlic, ginger
Vegetables are ready for the stir fry and chicken tenders are in the batter, ready to fry.
Use a laser thermometer to take the temperature of the oil. Should be around 375° - 400°. Drop in tenders, one at a time. Never crowd the pan when frying. And resist the urge to move the meat around in the pan. Leave it alone!
FRY, BABY!
For the stir fry, I have my skillet over high heat. Maybe just under 400°.
I used Bertolli extra light olive oil for frying.
At the end, I splashed in some mirin and let it go up in a nice steam.
And serve.
Enjoy.
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