Batter chicken easily and quickly, fry, and toss or dip in a lovely Asian tangerine sauce. That’s this crispy gluten free tangerine in a nutshell (American saying). This dish tastes like fine Chinese food, but it’s all gluten free! Better yet, you can also make this soy free!
Crispy Gluten Free Tangerine Chicken
An easy recipe for crispy fried, battered chicken mixed with vegetables and coated in an amazing tangerine sauce. Optionally, serve the crispy chicken and veggies on the side and dip them in the sauce.
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Marinating 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free reduced-sodium tamari sauce (San-J) (or low-sodium glute free soy sauce)
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken things cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 - 4 cups neutral-flavored oil or as needed
- For the Vegetables:
- 8 ounces vegetables of choice cooked (carrots, edamame, broccoli florets, etc.)
For the Coating:
- 3/4 cup cornstarch divided (or potato starch or brown rice flour, for corn-free)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 beaten egg*
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 thinly sliced green onion greens and whites
- 3 large minced garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 recipe Sweet Garlic Sauce
- 3/4 ounce `Dried Tangerine Peel **, rehydrated
- 3/4 teaspoon red hot chili oil (or Homemade) or to taste (optional)
Instructions
To Make the Marinade:
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To the container in which you plan on marinating the chicken, add the soy sauce and garlic. Add the chicken and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to coat all pieces and refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to 4 hours. Be sure to occasionally shake up the container or turn the pieces of chicken over to saturate all sides. If this is impossible to do, just marinade the chicken for 20 minutes, tossing once.
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Once you're ready to make the chicken, preheat a deep-fryer or deep saucepan with oil to 375ºF.
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Cook any vegetables you plan on using.
To Make the Coating and Fry the Chicken:
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In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup cornstarch and salt. Add the water and then the egg. Whisk to combine.
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Drain the marinated chicken and add the pieces to the bowl of cornstarch mixture. Fold the chicken into the mixture to coat all sides. You want the coating to form a paste-like consistency. If it is not pasty, add an additional cornstarch, a little at a time. (I added another 1/2 cup.) The amount needed really depends on how wet your chicken is.
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Line a plate with several paper towels; set aside.
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Working in batches, fry the chicken pieces by transferring them to the hot oil one at a time. Fry until golden brown, 2 - 3 minutes.
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Remove the chicken using the frying basket of your fryer, spider, or slotted metal spoon. Transfer to the paper-towel-lined plate.
To Make the Sauce:
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Preheat a large skillet with peanut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger powder and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant.
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Add the sweet garlic sauce and tangerine peel. Lower to simmer and allow the peel to bloom. Once the peel is tender, taste the sauce and season to your liking with salt or add the optional red hot chili oil. Just add a tiny bit of hot oil at a time, stir, and taste. You can always add more.
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Add the chicken and if desired, cooked vegetables. Toss gently to coat with sauce. Serve on top of white or brown rice. Optionally, you can serve the sauce on the side for dipping to keep the chicken nice and crispy.
Tips
*To add half of an egg, just beat an egg and use half of it, about 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons, depending upon the brand of the egg. **You may substitute 2 tablespoons of fruit juice such as pineapple, orange, or tangerine, but you will need to make more slurry. Just combine another teaspoon of cornstarch with about 1 teaspoon of juice or water and add to the boiling mixture. Stir until thick.