Chinese chicken balls - should the chicken be precooked?
There seems to be two schools of thought when it comes to cooking Chinese chicken balls. Some chefs pre-cook the raw chicken in simmering water (in a similar way to BIR take-away chefs) before coating and frying, others just coat the raw chicken batter and deep fry.
Which is the most authentic method used in Chinese restaurants? The only reason I can think of pre-cooking is to eliminate any risk of the chicken being undercooked, while the latter would allow for a more flavoursome chicken by using a marinade etc.
Best Answer
I think this is a heavily westernized version of, em, Chinese "chicken balls" (?? ji qiu). The more authentic version comes without the thick batter; instead it's just slightly coated with potato starch. Also, they're not served directly as a dish, but instead used as an intermediate ingredient; you can make, for example, kung pao chicken balls, sweet and sour chicken balls, or spicy chicken balls. (That should explain the lack of batter.)
But in any case, no, you should definitely not precook the chicken. With or without the batter, the deep frying is enough to cook the chicken. If your chicken is precooked, then it is going to become overcooked.
Pictures about "Chinese chicken balls - should the chicken be precooked?"
How do you make Chinese fried chicken balls?
You'll need 4 simple steps to make:Can you reheat Chinese takeaway chicken balls?
Reheating Chinese Takeaway Chicken BallsBake the chicken balls in batter in a pre-heated oven at 190\xb0C for 20-25 minutes. Personally, I \u201cdo it by eye\u201d to decide when they're cooked. The chicken just needs to be PIPING hot all the way through to be safe.Can you eat sweet and sour chicken balls cold?
if the chicken has been cooked before, it is completely fine to eat it cold.What temperature do you deep fry chicken balls?
Carefully lower the battered piece of chicken into hot oil. Deep frying at 350\xb0F is the ideal temperature, but if you don't have a thermometer, fry a small piece of battered chicken as a test first. Chicken ball should be a golden brown in about 7 minutes.Ziangs: REAL Chinese Takeaway Chicken Ball recipe
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