Honey Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 dashes ground white pepper
• Oil, for deep-frying

Batter

• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup water, ice cold
• 1 Tablespoon peanut oil, or regular cooking oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Sauce

• 2 cloves garlic, sliced or lightly bruised
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine, or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons of water, for thickening
• Salt and sugar to taste

Directions

Salt and pepper the chicken and set aside.

In a large bowl, lightly whisk the egg white, and mix in the rest of the frying batter ingredients. Batter should not be lumpy, nor too runny, but smooth. Place another bowl with ice cubes underneath the frying batter bowl. Drop in the chicken cubes, mix well until they are well coated. Let it sit for about 30 minutes to 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Mix all the sauce ingredients well and set aside.

Heat up a wok with deep-frying oil. Gently drop in the battered chicken cubes, one by one, making sure it is spread out to prevent sticking, overcrowding the wok, and not frying properly. Turn the heat down to medium-high, and continue to deep-fry until the color changes to golden brown and completely cooked. Dish out and drain on paper towels.

Reserve 3 tablespoons of deep-frying oil in the wok, and stir-fry the garlic until it is browned and the oil is fragrant. Dish out the garlic, and discard. Gently pour in the honey garlic sauce mixture, and bring to a light simmer, add in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce, give it a quick stir and adjust salt/sugar/water to taste.

Toss in the chicken and briefly stir well, making sure the chicken is well coated in the sauce. Serve over rice.