Chinese Chicken Fingers Recipe

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You could honestly use this batter for fish, to make the airiest, golden brown batter for deep-frying.

It is SO simple to make!

Chinese Chicken Fingers

Similar to the Chinese-American takeout, these crispy strips take on all those flavors using a sweet chili sauce instead of duck sauce.

They are incredibly light and super crispy!

My aunt makes these thick battered chicken strips for so many events! She’s known to bring a huge pan of these to birthdays and gatherings and they couldn’t be easier to make.

Her secret is to use a pancake mix and eggs. That’s it.

That is pretty genius because a pancake mix has the flour, leavening, and everything else you need to make a liquid-based coating with the addition of eggs.

It creates the most crisp, airy, and golden exterior, similar to a fish batter with no additional liquids, just eggs.

To keep these Chinese chicken fingers crisp, my aunt arranges them right into a party-sized 19×11 disposable pan and keeps them warm in a 350°F oven until they’re ready to be served.

Then she drizzles them with sweet chili sauce all over the tops. I’m telling you even kids love these crispy, airy, tenders!

My aunt also tenderizes the chicken in a baking soda solution just like they do at Chinese restaurants (they have a friend who worked there).

So, they are really tender.

My homemade pancake mix will work, too, if you’re generally the type that doesn’t buy pancake mix. Do yourself a favor and make these when you’re craving crispy fried chicken. If my aunt makes them for parties, they are THAT good!

How to make Chinese Chicken Fingers:

Chinese takeout chicken fingers, couldn’t be easier to make! Let’s walk through how to make the most tender strips of chicken coated in a thick, airy batter, and deep-fried, step-by-step!

1. Cut the chicken into 3/4-inch strips. I like to slice the chicken, crosswise to get strips. Depending how thick your chicken breast is, you may need to cut each piece in half. Put those into a bowl.

2. Sprinkle baking soda over the meat then add the vinegar (the combination should fuzz). This will tenderize the meat. You will not taste the baking soda, the vinegar does a good job to quench any strong odors from the baking soda.

3. Add the salt and pepper and mix to combine. Let this tenderize as you work on the batter.

4. Meanwhile heat oil in a medium pot or saucepan over medium heat. Use a narrower pot so you won’t have to use as much oil.

5. To prepare the wet batter, whisk together the dry baking mix and eggs until the batter is smooth. (The batter should stream down from whisk, it shouldn’t be too thick or too runny.) 

6. Coat each chicken strip in the batter. Sometimes I let all of my chicken strips hang out in the batter. When ready to fry, pick up each strip and let any excess batter drip off.

7. Fry the batter-coated chicken strips in the preheated pan, working in small batches for 2-3 minutes per side. They will fluff up, get super crispy and airy. Fry until golden brown and light (they will float to the top). They are ready to be removed when the instant thermometer reads 165°F.

8. Remove the crispy chicken strips with a slotted spoon (something with holes). Transfer them onto a plate or tray lined with paper towels and continue to work with remaining chicken pieces.

9. To serve arrange the Chinese chicken fingers onto a serving dish (preferably a rectangular white plate) and drizzle with Sweet Thai Chili sauce over the top. Enjoy! These are so GOOD!