Garlicky Fried Chicken with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

Name: Garlicky Fried Chicken with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce
Yield: serves 4 to 6 with 2 or 3 other dishes
Ingredients: 2 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, well trimmed and each cut into 2 or 3 pieces; 3 cloves garlic, finely minced; 3/4 teaspoon sugar; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; Salt; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup cornstarch; 1 egg; 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water; 2 cups panko; Corn or canola oil for deep-frying; 1 1/2 cups Sweet-and-Sour Sauce (page 312)

December 14, 2011

In this dish from my youth, the chicken is marinated and poached before it is battered and fried until crunchy. Poaching the chicken first enables you to deep-fry in less time, yields more tender meat, and mellows the pungency of the garlic. Small pieces of bone-in chicken are traditionally used, but I prefer to fry boneless, skinless thighs for convenience. Rolling the chicken in panko (Japanese bread crumbs) yields a crispy shell that keeps for hours.

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