Rani Chicken Fingers with Red Pepper Ketchup
This was conjured up as Adam Lambay began introducing his daughter to Indian flavors. This would be a good start for those less-than-adventurous eaters, even adults who are spice averse. Note from Chef Adam: This recipe is a kid-friendly riff on the classic, and very spicy, Chicken 65 created in 1965 at the Buhari Hotel in India. And, it’s a chicken finger – something every American kid is willing to try. Serve with Red Pepper Ketchup for dipping. Serves 4-6 Yields approximately 12 chicken fingers
Recipe Ingredients
- Rani Chicken Fingers
- - 2-Inch Piece of Fresh Gingerroot, peeled and chopped
- - 6 Garlic Cloves, peeled and chopped
- - 2 lbs. Chicken Tenderloins, tendon removed
- - 2 Egg Whites
- - 1/4 tsp Ground Turmeric
- - 2 tsp Garam Masala
- - Lemon Zest, 4 scrapes on a zester
- - 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- - 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- - 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- - 6 cups Canola Oil
- - 3 tbsp Corn Starch
- - 3 tbsp Rice Flour
- - 3 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- - Red Pepper Ketchup
- Red Pepper Ketchup (Yields approximately 2 Cups)
- - 1 cup Jarred, Roasted Red Bell Peppers (not marinated)
- - 1/2 cup Tomato Paste (unseasoned)
- - 2 tbsp Sugar
- - 2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- - 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- - 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- - 2 tbsp Water
Recipe Instructions
Rani Chicken Fingers (Cooking time: 35 minutes plus 60-minute rest in refrigerator)
- Puree the gingerroot and garlic with an immersion blender or regular blender. You may need to add a bit of water to get it going. That’s fine, it will cook out. Once pureed, set aside. Be sure to freeze any extra as I use gingerroot and garlic puree in many of my recipes.
- Remove tendons from chicken fingers and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Beat egg whites with a whisk in a medium bowl until broken and no “strings” remain.
- Add turmeric, garam masala, 1-1/2 tablespoons of the gingerroot & garlic puree, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Pour over the chicken and combine until all the chicken is coated well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Do not marinate longer than an hour as the lemon juice will “cook” the chicken and the salt will draw out the moisture.
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or dutch oven to 325°F. This might seem like a low temperature but a higher temp will caramelize the sugars in the breading, causing it to brown too quickly and leave the chicken raw. This lower temp allows the chicken to cook to an internal temperature of 165°F and the breading to become golden brown and crispy.
- Mix the cornstarch and flours in a large bowl until well combined. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the mix. Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and toss with 6 tablespoons of the cornstarch-flour mixture. The chicken will be very lightly coated – this isn’t a thick breading.
- Fry in batches for 6-8 minutes. Don’t overcrowd the fryer. The fingers are cooked when they are goden brown and have reached an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove and set on paper towels to drain. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked. As the breaded chicken waits for its turn in the fryer it might get a bit wet, that’s when you can dust lightly with the reserved 3 tablespoons of dry mix.
Red Pepper Ketchup (Prep time: 5 minutes)
- Add all the ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth.