Wor Su Gai or Almond Boneless Chicken

Tonight I had the guts to try and replicate a chicken dish that is popular in Chinese restaurants around Detroit, MI. It's proper name is Wor Su Gai, but my family calls it ABC, short for almond boneless chicken.

I can only get this when I visit my family up north. I have been to many a chinese restaurant around here in Atlanta and not one has come close. So when I browsed the web for a recipe I was jumping for joy when I actually found one.

The dish isn't anything too special. And definitely not a healthy one either. It is basically batter fried chicken with a gravy like sauce. It sounds simple enough, but I can't get the same flavor from the chinese places around here, and I LOVE this chicken!

The chicken came out pretty close, but next time I think I'll add some sugar to the batter. And the sauce was a bit off as well. Not bad by any means, but not exactly like the one I'm used to. I believe with a little tweaking I can probably get it just right.

Wor Su Gai (ABC)

(recipe from about.com)

2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut in half

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dry sherry

Sauce:

4 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons water

3 cups broth

1 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (optional) (I omitted)

3 tablespoons chicken fat or butter

2 teaspoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

Batter:

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg, beaten1 tablespoon water

1 cup shredded lettuce

1/3 cup toasted, slivered almonds

1 green onion, finely chopped (green and white parts) for garnish

Oil for deep-frying

Sprinkle chicken with salt and sherry and marinate for 15 minutes. While chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce. Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small saucepan until smooth. Gradually mix in the chicken broth, mushrooms (if using), chicken fat or butter, soy sauce, and bouillon granules. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Let boil for 1 minute, and keep warm. To prepare batter: Beat together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, egg, and water until smooth. Coat each piece of chicken with the batter. Heat wok or a large skillet and add oil to a depth of 1/2-inch. Heat to 375 degrees. Cook coated chicken pieces in oil until they are golden, turning them once. This should take about 5 - 7 minutes. Drain the chicken on a tempura rack if you have one, or on paper towels. Cut the chicken diagonally into strips. Reassemble the strips into chicken breast shapes and place on a bed of shredded lettuce. Sprinkle with almonds and green onion. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

I like my sauce on the side...