To make the best gluten free batter you do not want to use a gluten free flour blend. These gluten free Chinese Chicken Balls are made with brown rice flour and cornstarch to have a less starch than most blends. Club soda helps make the batter light, airy and irresistible.
Once you've made this recipe you can use it to make delicious battered fish for fish and chips or yummy fish tacos. When I've got oil out for deep frying (no air-fryer yet) I want to use it twice so I also think of making these vegetable fritters (pakora) or a treat like cinnamon churros.
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🥢 Ingredients
I served these with store bought plum sauce and it reminded me of the kind of chicken balls we used to get when our family ordered Chinese food. Finding a brand that had no gluten containing ingredients was easy.
- brown rice flour
- cornstarch
- baking powder
- baking soda
- club soda
- chicken
- oil for frying
- plum sauce
See recipe card for exact amounts.
Instructions
Over the years I’ve learned a few tricks for cooking with gluten free flour. Here's what you need to know for making battered recipes.
- Let the batter rest for 30 minutes to allow the gluten free flour and starch to fully absorb the liquid.
- The high starch content of most gluten free flour blends creates a tough batter. The combination of brown rice flour and cornstarch creates a crunchiness with a smooth texture.
- Club soda and baking powder help lighten up the batter.
- Dredging the pieces in cornstarch first helps the batter adhere to the meat.
- Double frying creates a sturdy, crunchy, golden crust.
Substitutions
Vegetarian - Canned young jackfruit in brine (from Trader Joe's in the US) is the mystery ingredient not enough people know about. Drain, rinse, remove the seeds and cut off the tough points. Season with salt and pepper and follow the instructions to coat and cook the chicken. If you've never tried it you'll be surprised how similar the texture is to chicken. I see Dragon Fly Brand young jackfruit at Asian stores in Calgary.
Equipment
Lots of you have an air-fryer but for those of you who don't, I've shared my step-by-step instructions in this post for battered fish. If you're looking for options to deep fry at home here are some tools to consider.
- Electric deep fryer
- Air fryer
- 13-inch flat bottom wok with long handled mesh strainer.
- Long clip-on thermometer.
Cooking with a Seasonal Strategy
Cooking with a seasonal strategy is the best way I know to automatically build lots of variety into your diet. Holidays go along with season's so they're included in my strategy. They're associated with traditional and non-traditional dishes so there's no end to ideas of what to make.
Chinese New Year falls between January 21 and February 21 and just reminds me of all my favourite Chinese dishes. It is a great reason to celebrate with friends and try some new dishes. Check out my post for Lion's Head Meatballs for a menu suggestion that is fun to make anytime.
I’d love to hear in the comments below if you made this batter or the Chinese Chicken Balls.
Gluten Free Chinese Chicken Balls
Ingredients
BATTER
- 1 cup brown rice flour*
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ pepper
- 1 cup club soda use more if needed
COATING CHICKEN BALLS
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces (I got 36 pieces)
- ¼ cup cornstarch for coating
- salt and pepper
DEEP-FRYING
- 4-6 cups vegetable oil
SERVING
- store bought gluten free plum sauce
Instructions
BATTER
- Combine brown rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add club soda stirring until no lumps remain.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
CHICKEN
- Put cornstarch in shallow bowl.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.
- Dredge in cornstarch shaking off excess. Set onto clean plate.
DEEP-FRYING
- Pour oil in wok and heat to 375°F. Prepare paper towel lined plate to set chicken on when removed from oil.
- Prepare a baking sheet with metal rack and preheat oven to 200°F to keep chicken warm before serving.
- Dip chicken into batter letting excess drip back into the bowl. Place into hot oil and fry for 1 minute. Work with 6-8 pieces at a time allowing the oil to come back to 375°F between batches. Repeat until all chicken is cooked once.
- Repeat the whole process. Dip chicken into the batter again, cooking until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towel lined plate.
- Serve immediately with gluten free plum sauce or keep warm in 200°F oven until serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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steshni
made these with jackfruit! they were delicious 10/10 can be made vegetarian
Cinde Little
Excellent Steshni! Canned young jackfruit is the mystery ingredient not enough people know about. I'll add that info to the recipe description. Thanks!