Do you love Chinese food? It is hard to find comparable gluten-free recipes to make at home; especially because gluten-free Chinese food restaurants are few and far between. There is no need to miss out on your favourites just because you are gluten-free. That is why we’re sharing the ultimate gluten-free chicken soo guy recipe with you today.
What is Chicken Soo Guy?
Chicken soo guy is a battered and fried chicken breast sometimes served whole or cut into slices. It is also known as almond chicken or chicken almond soo guy. Our gluten-free chicken soo guy recipe, like the original, is served with an almond sauce. If you can’t have nuts you can use mushrooms instead of almonds in the sauce or make the sauce plain. Alternatively, make our homemade sauce using our gluten-free chilli honey garlic sauce. If you want your favourite sauce, we compiled a list of gluten-free East and South East Asian sauces. This proves that a gluten-free diet doesn’t mean missing out, it just means searching out alternatives.
This gluten-free chicken soo guy recipe gives you all the classic fried flavour of the crispy breading with moist, delicious chicken breast. Fried to golden brown perfection, this recipe is shockingly easy to make, and while it is a treat, it is fast enough to make for a weeknight dinner.
Looking for other gluten-free food options for Chinese New Year or any time of the year?
- The Best Gluten-Free Chicken Ball Recipe
- Gluten-Free Fried Rice Ring with Teriyaki Chicken and Pork
- VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE SINGAPORE NOODLES
- Sweet and Savoury Gluten-Free Stir Fry
- Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Rice-Filled Zucchini Boat Recipe
The Ultimate Gluten-Free Chicken Soo Guy Recipe
Ingredients:
For the Gluten-Free Chicken Soo Guy Recipe:
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour – any cup-for-cup flour will work. I either use Robin Hood gluten-free flour, Ardent Mills Gluten Free Flour, or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- 1 LB boneless skinless chicken breasts (that is roughly 2 -3 chicken breasts)
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
- 1 tsp neutral cooking oil- I used an olive and canola blend.
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4-1c water
- Neutral cooking oil for frying
For The Almond Sauce:
- 1/4 cup almonds cut into slivers and toasted
Pro Tip: You can buy sliced almonds
- 1 cup gluten-free chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
- 1/2 half a teaspoon each of granulated onion and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
- 1 Teaspoon of sugar
Directions:
For the Gluten-Free Chicken Soo Guy Recipe:
- In a bowl mix together flour and cornstarch.
Pro Tip: When expanding this recipe, know that the secret is to use equal parts of flour and cornstarch.
- To the bowl add baking powder, salt, pepper, sugar, and olive oil.
- Mix all ingredients well.
- Slowly add 3/4 cup of water to the dry ingredients and whisk thoroughly. We do not want any clumps.
Pro Tip: You want the consistency to be the same as pancake batter. Know that the batter should gently fall off the whisk in a stream, but not be watery.
Pro Tip: If you feel that the batter is too thick add one tablespoon of water in at a time. Mix well after you add in the water and check the consistency before adding more water. If you accidentally add too much water, you may need to add 1 tablespoon each of flour and cornstarch- always in equal parts.
- Once the batter is made, set aside and then leave it to sit for 20 to 30 minutes. This allows the gluten-free flour to absorb the liquid and it will give you a much better batter.
Pro Tip: I like to make my batter first and then cut my chicken and do the rest of my prep for dinner.
- Slice your chicken breast into cutlets. You want these to have a medium (1/4 inch) thickness so you will get 2-3 slices out of each breast depending on the thickness of the breast.
Pro Tip: You can cut the chicken thinner, but they will cook faster.
- Pour a quarter of an inch of neutral cooking oil for frying into a pan and heat until it reaches 350°F then fry your chicken.
- Prepare a rimmed baking sheet either with parchment paper or one fitted with a rack. This is to place the fried chicken on once cooked.
- Pre-heat either your oven or air fryer to 300°F.
- Dip the chicken cutlets into the batter one at a time. Once you have both sides of the chicken completely coated, hold the chicken over the bowl for a few seconds to allow excess batter to drop off- this way it does not make a mess in your oil.
- Gently, place the battered chicken into the hot oil and cook until brown on both sides – 3-5 min per side. You will want to cook it until it is a slightly darker golden brown and not pale yellow gold.
Pro Tip: if it is a very light or pale golden brown it will not be crispy enough.
- Once your chicken is fried to a dark golden brown on both sides, remove it from the oil.
- Place your chicken on the prepared cookie sheet. Once all fried, place the chicken in your preheated oven or air fryer. Allow to cook in the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the chicken reads a minimum of 165°F.
- Remove and serve either by pouring your sauce on top or serving your sauce on the side, as a dipping sauce.
For The Almond Sauce:
- Slice almonds in half lengthwise.
Pro Tip: Skip this step by buying sliced almonds.
- Place sliced almonds in a fry frying pan over medium heat and toast.
Pro Tip: Do not walk away from your pan, as almonds can burn quickly.
- Gently stir the almonds every minute or so, to get an even and light toast on them.
- Once they are fragrant and lightly brown, remove them from the pan.
Pro Tip: Do not clean the pan you’re going to make the sauce in the pan and any little sliver of almond is going to add flavour.
Pro Tip: If you want this to be a mushroom sauce, slice your mushrooms and cook them in a pan with a tablespoon of oil. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove from pan when they are cooked.
Pro Tip: If you just want the sauce plain without mushrooms or almonds, skip the above steps and pick it up from here.
- Pour the chicken stock into a pan and allow to start cooking over medium heat.
- Place your tablespoon of cornstarch into a measuring cup and add enough cold water for it to be fully dissolved and not clumpy. This is your cornstarch slurry which will thicken your sauce.
- Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the chicken stock.
- Add the seasoning, sugar, sesame oil, and at least 3/4 of your almonds.
Pro Tip: Reserve the rest of the almonds to sprinkle on the top if you’d like, or just add them all into the sauce.
Allow the mixture to cook until it is thick and glossy.
Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Pro Tip: If the sauce is too thin you can add another cornstarch slurry and you can always add more chicken stock or just water if it overproduces or is too thick.
The ultimate gluten-free chicken soo guy recipe pairs well with stir-fry vegetables fried rice, or noodles. This would be a great recipe to make when having company over. If you want it to be one of many items, on a buffet, slice each chicken piece into 4 to 5 slices, on the diagonal.
Now, you can enjoy this delicious yet economical Chinese classic made gluten-free with natural ingredients at home.