The Cozy Cookbook is here! These homemade Chinese chicken fingers are JUST like from a restaurant. Crispy and golden on the outside and filled with juicy chicken on the inside. Perfect with sweet and sour sauce!
Be sure to try my Crispy Crab Rangoon and Chicken Fried Rice!
Okay. I have a question for you guys. It’s about Chinese Chicken Fingers. (Go figure.)
…Do they have Chicken Fingers like this on the Chinese food menu by you? (And if I may, where are you from?)
I’m beginning to wonder if this is a regional thing, because if it is, then you’re going to have to move to New Hampshire.
The thick, golden brown batter is so crunchy and satisfying, I don’t even know how I managed to take a picture of these without just dropping my camera and mowing them down. (It wasn’t easy.)
The secret to these guys is in the self rising flour.
Self Rising Flour vs. All Purpose Flour
- Self rising flour contains a leavening agent that helps make baked goods rise. It’s often used to make biscuits and other fluffy baked goods.
Homemade Self Rising Flour
- 1 + 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each cup of flour.
Try These Next!
-
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
-
- Crab Rangoon
-
- Firecracker Chicken
-
- Chicken Fried Rice
-
- Chinese Chicken Salad
-
- Beef and Broccoli
Get My Free Meal Plan
I’ve got a Free Meal Plan with 7 of my super popular recipes (complete with grocery list)! Sign up for my email list and I’ll send it over now along with weekly dinner recipes!
And follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Rate and Comment!
Did you make this recipe?! Did the information help you? I would love if you would rate the recipe and leave a comment!
Chinese Chicken Fingers
Ingredients
- 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup self-rising flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 cup Seltzer water
- 1 quart canola oil
Instructions
- Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl and mix them until well-combined.
- Slowly add the seltzer water and mix until well combined. The batter should be slightly thicker than pancake batter. If needed, add more seltzer water or flour to adjust the consistency.
- Cut the chicken into strips and sprinkle with salt.
- Dunk the chicken into the batter, ensure each piece is thoroughly covered.
- Carefully lower the chicken into a preheated deep fryer and cook for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. They will be white for a while before they turn brown and start to look like real chicken fingers, have faith and be patient. You want that rich gold color! Serve warm, with sweet and sour sauce.
Notes
You'll need an oil thermometer if you’re not using a Deep fryer. Bring the heat up slowly until the oil is between 350 and 375 degrees F.
Be sure to try my Popcorn Chicken recipe next!
Nutrition
The best!
I’m so happy to hear that Jennifer, thanks so much!😍
Is there no recipe for the gravy? Or am I missing something?
Hi Kay, For these I just serve them with store bought sweet and sour sauce, or any other sauce of your choosing 😃
Sadly, I can’t use store bought processed sauces as I’m on a low fodmap diet. And the gravy, to me, is just as important as the chicken batter, which you’ve nailed here. But no worries, I found a recipe for the sauce elsewhere. 🙂 This is one of my childhood favorites (I grew up in Rhode Island, where this dish is on the menu in every Chinese restaurant) but is seemingly unavailable in Michigan (I have yet to find it on any menu here), so I want to get it right.
So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe Kay!! 🙂
Can these be air fried?
Unfortunately no, the batter would splatter and make a mess from the air flow.
Glad to find this recipe! Our chinese restaurants here in Oregon have these on the menu, they are called “mar far chicken”, so yummy! I hear it is a regional recipe, our kids live in different states around the country, (Idaho, Colorado and Nevada) and they can’t get them where they live.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Terry! They can definitely be hard to come by. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!😍
Just curious, could we do these in the air fryer? Trying to eat healthier.
Unfortunately batter doesn’t work well in the air fryer as it will splatter everywhere from the airflow.
I found I had to use 1 cup of seltzer instead of the 1/2 cup the recipe calls for.
Loved this and so did my family! Thank you for such a great recipe!
You’re very welcome Jennifer! I’m happy to hear it was a hit with the family. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Tip: Double cook these. I worked at a chinese restaurant for 5 years when I was in my teens. I was the tall white kid yelling out orders in Mandarin. On the slow days, we made huge batches of the fried foods. The main foods that were double-cooked were egg rolls, chicken wings, and chicken fingers/sweet & sour chicken. I remember trying the food on the first round of cooking and it was never as good. They were always bland. So I suggest cooking it until slightly done, throw it in the fridge, at minimum, for a few hours but I recommend overnight. Recook either by fryer, oven, or like I do, air fryer. Enjoy.
Thank you for sharing these tips Matt! There is no doubt in my mind that it would take these chicken fingers to the next level, I have a recipe for lemon pepper chicken wings where I double fry them, it is by far the best way to have a nice juicy inside, and super crispy outside! That restaurant you worked at sounds like it had some pretty delicious food!
Can you air fry these, say after freezing them on a sheet pan for 15 or 20 minutes?
Hi Sheilah, I don’t know if that would work, I suspect the batter would just melt and not get crispy. The air fryer isn’t ideal for recipes with wet batter like this, I wish it was!
NH here…its true chicken fingers are a delicacy! I died when I read that…and died a second time when they came out like the restaurants! Thank you sooooo much!
Hey Laura! I am so happy to hear that you ended up with restaurant quality results and have the same appreciation for the NH Chicken Fingers that I do!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review as well, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie