Conference turris::cooks

    There are a billion things you can do with chicken and cheese.  What
    else can you say about it, were there any vegetables?  Was it chicken
    breasts wrapped around stuff?  Were there any other meats involved?
    
    ed

    
    well Ed as best as I can describe it is there were no vegetables.
    the chicken was cooked and I guess cut up.  There was like a 
    bread stuffing and cheese all mixed up as a casserole.  It almost
    lookes like it was just stuffing until you cut into it.  that's the
    best I can do.  Can you help?
    
    
                                     Patty

    I looked through the whole directory and haven't found anything
    on deep fried chicken fingers "Chinese style".
    Or maybe I missed it.
    
    I'm looking for a recipe for the batter they use.
    
    Presently I use Aunt Jamima pancake batter,"the just add water kind",
    mixed with water, soda water, or beer for extra flavor and mix it to 
    consistancy.
    
    Cut the boneless, skinless chicken breasts into strips. 
    Dip into batter. Then deep fry at med. to med high heat.
    
    They come out very tasty but not the same as the typical Chinese res.
    chicken fingers.
    
    Can you by the batter?
    Can you make it from scratch?
    
    Thanx in advance!
    And sorry mod. if this belongs elsewhere.
    
                                                      Scott.

The batter for Chinese chicken fingers is the same one used for Sweet and Sour
Pork or Chicken.  Store-bought tempura batter ought to work reasonably well,
too.

--PSW

    Thanks for the quick response, PSW. I see I'm not the only one up at
    this hour.
    
    I checked out alot of the sweet/sour recipes in this conf. but they
    weren't what I'm looking for. They spoke of the sauce rather than
    the batter used for the chicken.
    
    I buy the chicken fingers appitizer and use plain salt. 
    I dont bother with the sause they give you to dip it in.
    
    I've never heard of tempura batter. Is that all its called.
    
    I'll have to check with Finast's Deli Dep. They sell them cold
    for you to buy and take home to heat. I dont know if they would give 
    out the recipe though.
    
    Someone asked about Golden Fingers in an earlier note, I think it 
    was #783 and I think they meant what I'm asking. But the reply
    wasn't close.

    Whoops, 783.2 does exactly what I do with pancake batter which is
    good but not the same as the Chinese res.
    
    Sorry 783.2

RE: .3, .4, .5

Check out the batter used in the Lemon Chicken recipe in note 2346.7.  Chinese
Lemon Chicken is a variant on Sweet & Sour Chicken and the batter is very
similar to that used in Chinese restaurants for Chicken Fingers.  If this
isn't exactly what you're looking for, play around with adding whisked egg
to it.

--PSW

    I have a recipe at home that calls for flour water salt and vinegar. 
    It puffs up just like the chicken fingers in a chinese restaurant. 
    I'll try to remember to look it up tonight.
    
    Roberta

    Tempura batter mix can be found at most supermarkets by the
    "shake and bake" type stuff.  Some are better than others,
    so it might be worth experimenting with them.
    
    dm

    My tempura batter recipe calls for:
    
    1 cup ice-cold water 
    1 egg yolk or whole egg
    1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups (coarsely ground) unbleached white flour
    1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
    
    In a mixing bowl, combine the water and egg yolk and beat well with a
    wire whisk or chopsticks.  Sprinkle the flour and, if used, the salt
    evenly over the mixture.  With a few quick strokes of the whisk (or a
    wooden spoon) slightly stir in the flour until all flour is moistened
    and large lumps disappear.  (The presence of small lumps is alright.) 
    Do not stir batter again after the initial mixing.  Use as soon as
    possible and do not place too near the heat.
    
    Float an ice cube in the batter, if necessary to keep it cold.
    
    Makes enough for 4 to 6 servings.
    
    
    The oil used to fry tempura is equally important.  It should be clean,
    filtered vegetable oil such as soy (the least expensive).  It should be
    maintained at a temperature of 350 F.  You can test it by dropping in a
    small bead of batter.  It should drop a short distance, then rise to
    the surface and gently brown.  If it falls to the bottom, the oil is
    too cool.  If it immediately browns, the oil is too hot.  Do not fry
    too many pieces at one time - this lowers the oil temperature.
    
    
    My dipping sauce recipe calls for:
    
    1 cup water
    3 to 4 tablespoons sake
    1/4 cup "shoyu" soy sauce (Japanese type)
    4 to 6 tablespoons grated daikon radish (the big white ones)
    4 to 6 teaspoons grated gingerroot
    
    
    To tell the truth - I rarely deep fry.  It's a lot of trouble,
    including straining the oil for reuse, a mess, and not great for the
    arteries.  Plus I risk setting off the smoke alarm.  But it sure is
    delicious!  I enjoy tempura at a Japanese restaurant - let them handle
    the cleanup.  I find the average Chinese restaurant's deep fried food to
    be greasy and heavy.
    
    Laura

    Thanks for all the replys.
    I'll try them out and let you know how I did.
    
    RE:7
    I think you meant a different note than 2346.7. But thats ok.
    Because I'm a hunter, and I do like venison.
    
                                                   Scott.

    The recipe I use for chicken fingers...
    
    		1# chicken breast cut into strips
    		1/3 cup all-purpose flour
    		1/4 t salt
    		1 1/2 t vinegar
    		1/4 t baking soda
    		1/3 cup water
    
    Mix flour and salt.  Mix vinegar and baking soda.  Stir vinegar mixture
    and water into flour mixture.  Beat until smooth.  Dip chicken into
    batter, allowing excess batter to drip into bowl.
    
    Fry chicken in hot oil 4 or 5 pieces at a time, turning once, until
    golden brown and done, about 4 minutes.  Drain. ENJOY!!!

RE: .11

Oops.  The Lemon Chicken recipe is in 2456.7.

--PSW

    Patty,
    
    I think the recipe you may be looking for is Chicken Divan.  It
    includes chicken, broccoli, cheese and stuffing.  If you would like
    the recipe, please let me know.
    
    Susan
    

    
    Susan,
    
      please enter it here I thought my question had been forgotten...
    I am willing to try your recipe  thanks again
    
                              Patty

    Please, not another Chcicken Divan recipe! Unless it's new of course.
    Checken Divan is in notes 56.19, 560.*, 1203.8, 1432.11-18, 1677.18,
    1708.2, 2452.4, 2602.22, unless they've been moved quite recently.
    
    ed

I'm looking for some help/suggestions on what to have for dinner tonight.
I'm trying to stay on WW, so, here's what I have to work with:  cubed
chicken, broccoli & cauliflower florets, celery, onion or scallions, and rice.

I can only have 2 1/2 oz of protein, 1 oz of bread (or other starch), 1 tsp of 
fat or oil and need to eat 1 1/4 cup of veggies.  I made a stir fry the other
night and that was good, but I don't want another plain one again.  Does
anyone have any good ideas for the Wok that I can make with the above 
ingredience?  I can use condiments in resonable amounts and have 100 calories
that I can use too.

Thanks,

Debbi

    If you don't mind varying the ingredients that you're using from the
    list.... one of my standard WW dinners is burritos made with whatever
    I can afford for the day.  My standard is to just use 2P worth of 
    pinto beans, and 1/2P of cheddar.  You could do chicken instead.
    I throw in onions, pepper, cumin, coriander, garlic, and oregano, and
    some salsa.  And then use 1 or 2 of the small flour tortillas.  Also,
    I always eat them with a knife and fork, to avoid the inhalation 
    syndrome!
    
    --Sharon
    

    A diet that strict (fixed quantitied of everything? - sheesh!) would
    drive me nuts in short order...
    
    Anyhow, you can liven up your stirfry with some judicious use of
    spices.  For example, chop up some fresh ginger and some garlic and
    some scallions (and a hot pepper if you like) and stirfry the mixture
    in the oil before you add the meat (be careful not to burn it - burned
    garlic tastes awful).  Dump the mixture temporarily into a serving bowl
    while you do the veggies (using the same oil that is left in the wok),
    then put the meat back in and add whatever additional liquid you want
    or need, such as a bit of chicken broth, some soy sauce if you want, or
    a sprinkling of sesame oil.  Sprinkle the dish with chopped scallions
    or maybe some sesame seeds.  Serve over rice.  If you like hot food,
    you can saute chili paste with garlic or hot bean sauce with the garlic
    and ginger (helps if you have a vent hood!) if you have an oriental
    grocer nearby - I don't know how those would fit into your diet since
    it is so strict, but you can make a real spicy dish with only a
    teaspoon or so of either one.
    
    /Charlotte