Caramelized Chicken Boxes
A Beijing dish with an appealing appearance and a sweet, delicious taste.
Ingredients
chicken breast (cut into connected round slices)
300 g
oil
75 g
Beijing candied fruit (chopped into filling and rolled into balls)
100 g
white sugar
100 g
red and green cherries (diced)
6 g
flour
to taste
fermented dough (mixed into batter)
to taste
alkali
to taste
Instructions
1
Prepare the chicken
Wash the chicken breast and cut into round slices about 3 cm in diameter, roughly 32 slices in total (with every two slices left connected at the base). Coat the slices with flour.
2
Prepare the filling
Wash the candied fruit and chop it into a coarse filling. Divide the filling into about 16 equal portions and roll each one into a small ball by hand. Dice the red and green cherries and set aside.
3
Mix the batter
Combine the fermented dough with water and stir until smooth. Just before using, stir in an appropriate amount of alkali to turn the mixture into a light fermented batter.
4
Deep-fry
Heat a wok over high heat and add the oil, heating it to 50–60% hot (about 150–180°C). Place a fruit ball between two connected chicken slices to form a 'chicken box'. Coat the box thoroughly with the fermented batter and carefully lower it into the hot oil. Fry the chicken boxes one by one over low heat until they float to the surface and turn a deep golden brown. Remove and drain the excess oil.
5
Coat with caramel
Add the white sugar and a small splash of water to the wok and heat until the sugar dissolves and turns a pale yellow caramel. Add the fried chicken boxes and toss quickly so the sugar syrup evenly coats each one. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle the diced red and green cherries over the top, and serve.
