When we lived in NOLA, most chinese restaurants had "Mandarin chicken" on their menu. It was a floured fried chicken breast cut in slices served on lettuce with a brown sauce, and some type of nut topping sprinkled, and white rice on the side, fried rice if it was a luncheon. I have yet to find this in any restaurant in Memphis Tn. When i google this creation i get recipes with mandarin oranges, that i do not think were in the NOLA version. Is this a regional thing? How do you make it? Egg foo young is available, here it always has a strong grease taste. I would like to learn to make this myself. Thank you. arthur
Chinese food, cooking
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Mandarin Chicken
I found this on the Chinese food website. Is this something like you were looking for? There was also something on the Taste of Home website as well.
chinese.food.com
I found this on the Chinese food website. Is this something like you were looking for? There was also something on the Taste of Home website as well.
Mandarin Chicken Recipe - Food.com
This is very similar to the Mandarin chicken served in the malls, except I use white meat chicken. Boneless chicken thighs are what the restaurant use
chinese.food.com
"Mandarin" in American Chinese restaurants refers to a general style of cooking, but it's not regional like Szechuan or Cantonese styles. It roughly can be translated to mean "Royal", which really doesn't do much to define it other than that it should be rich and satisfying.
So a Chinese American restaurant dish labeled "Mandarin" probably won't have oranges in it.
The dish you describe sounds to me like an combination of dishes - sort of like Sesame chicken made with breast instead of thigh meat, like General Tso chicken but not spicy, and like chinese chicken salad but with the meat cooked like a main dish but just layered onto some lettuce. Most likely the dish never occurs in China proper. It's more likely to be one of those "syncretic" dishes that evolved in America to satisfy local tastes and notions.
Personally I don't care for most breaded chicken in chinese dishes - often the breading gets to be overdone and too chewy. Instead I coat the bite size pieces of chicken in a mixture of water, salt, sherry, chopped garlic, minced hot pepper, and cornstarch. Then stir fry it quickly in a fair amount of hot good quality cooking oil (I like safflower) until just cooked on the outside (it should be all white). Set aside, drain off oil, return oil to wok. Then toss in any fresh vegetable you like, cut into bite size pieces. Cook until veggies are almost done. Return the chicken back into the wok for final cooking - won't take long, don't overcook it. Drain off excess oil again before serving or adding more gravy. At the last if you like a thicker gravy add some more of the above marinating mixture and some soy sauce to taste, stir till it thickens. Serve over rice or on a lettuce leaf if you like.
You could substitute any sort of breading mixture (egg, flour, salt) for the cornstarch marinade.
The key here is just to sear the outside of the chicken, set it aside, and then cook the veggies, which take longer. If you were to try to cook the veggies and the chicken together the chicken would get overdone and tough. The cornstarch marinade gives the chicken a very light outer coating that helps to seal in the juices.
I usually add some sesame seed oil at the last minute, to taste, as well. If you like ginger, you can also add some slices (to be removed when serving) at the start, or some finely grated ginger that will remain.
I've been told that in traditional chinese cuisine the main component is almost always a vegetable. The meat is usually a minor component, almost just for flavoring. This no doubt goes back to the frugal availability of meat in traditional Chinese culture. Here in America food is so much more plentiful, and Americans expect large amounts of meat to dominate any main course, so recipes have changed to accommodate that expectation.
The cool thing about wok cooking is that once you use basic principles - fast heating and cooking, basic seasonings, don't overcook the meat, etc... you can mix and match ingredients as they are available or you prefer. It's very flexible and there is no one right way to do it, IMHO. Don't overload the wok so that the oil no longer sears the ingredients - then you might as well just simmer everything in a saucepan instead. You can also start adding ingredients found at chinese groceries, like real chinese greens, chinese broccoli, long beans, etc. Bottled or canned oyster sauce is popular but I generally prefer the taste of fresher ingredients.
I've found the above basic technique works for just about any meat - chicken, fish, pork, beef, shrimp, etc, or vegetable. Most of the time spent in such cooking is in the prepartion - cutting the food into bite size pieces (easily handled by the diners with chopsticks), preparing the spices and marinades, etc. The actual cooking goes by quickly, usually in 10 minutes or less. Of course you want to have the rice or noodles ready in advance ;-).
Good luck!
So a Chinese American restaurant dish labeled "Mandarin" probably won't have oranges in it.
The dish you describe sounds to me like an combination of dishes - sort of like Sesame chicken made with breast instead of thigh meat, like General Tso chicken but not spicy, and like chinese chicken salad but with the meat cooked like a main dish but just layered onto some lettuce. Most likely the dish never occurs in China proper. It's more likely to be one of those "syncretic" dishes that evolved in America to satisfy local tastes and notions.
Personally I don't care for most breaded chicken in chinese dishes - often the breading gets to be overdone and too chewy. Instead I coat the bite size pieces of chicken in a mixture of water, salt, sherry, chopped garlic, minced hot pepper, and cornstarch. Then stir fry it quickly in a fair amount of hot good quality cooking oil (I like safflower) until just cooked on the outside (it should be all white). Set aside, drain off oil, return oil to wok. Then toss in any fresh vegetable you like, cut into bite size pieces. Cook until veggies are almost done. Return the chicken back into the wok for final cooking - won't take long, don't overcook it. Drain off excess oil again before serving or adding more gravy. At the last if you like a thicker gravy add some more of the above marinating mixture and some soy sauce to taste, stir till it thickens. Serve over rice or on a lettuce leaf if you like.
You could substitute any sort of breading mixture (egg, flour, salt) for the cornstarch marinade.
The key here is just to sear the outside of the chicken, set it aside, and then cook the veggies, which take longer. If you were to try to cook the veggies and the chicken together the chicken would get overdone and tough. The cornstarch marinade gives the chicken a very light outer coating that helps to seal in the juices.
I usually add some sesame seed oil at the last minute, to taste, as well. If you like ginger, you can also add some slices (to be removed when serving) at the start, or some finely grated ginger that will remain.
I've been told that in traditional chinese cuisine the main component is almost always a vegetable. The meat is usually a minor component, almost just for flavoring. This no doubt goes back to the frugal availability of meat in traditional Chinese culture. Here in America food is so much more plentiful, and Americans expect large amounts of meat to dominate any main course, so recipes have changed to accommodate that expectation.
The cool thing about wok cooking is that once you use basic principles - fast heating and cooking, basic seasonings, don't overcook the meat, etc... you can mix and match ingredients as they are available or you prefer. It's very flexible and there is no one right way to do it, IMHO. Don't overload the wok so that the oil no longer sears the ingredients - then you might as well just simmer everything in a saucepan instead. You can also start adding ingredients found at chinese groceries, like real chinese greens, chinese broccoli, long beans, etc. Bottled or canned oyster sauce is popular but I generally prefer the taste of fresher ingredients.
I've found the above basic technique works for just about any meat - chicken, fish, pork, beef, shrimp, etc, or vegetable. Most of the time spent in such cooking is in the prepartion - cutting the food into bite size pieces (easily handled by the diners with chopsticks), preparing the spices and marinades, etc. The actual cooking goes by quickly, usually in 10 minutes or less. Of course you want to have the rice or noodles ready in advance ;-).
Good luck!
I have to agree with Sudsmaster regarding the Chinese stir frying technique (high heat and quick cooking). However you do not need a wok to achieve similar results. A high sided saute skillet properly heated before adding ingredients does just as well. My elderly mother has being stir frying in the United States as an immigrant from China with a large high sided saute pan for over 60 years with excellent results.
As for seasoning, a little oyster sauce adds depth to your stir fry dish in terms of richness and taste.
In regards to the dish Mandarin Chicken, the chicken breast is lightly battered and deep fried or not and then stir fried with veggies with a light brown sauce and served on a bed of lettuce or shredded cabbage. Variations will vary depending on the cook or the restaurant serving this dish.
As for seasoning, a little oyster sauce adds depth to your stir fry dish in terms of richness and taste.
In regards to the dish Mandarin Chicken, the chicken breast is lightly battered and deep fried or not and then stir fried with veggies with a light brown sauce and served on a bed of lettuce or shredded cabbage. Variations will vary depending on the cook or the restaurant serving this dish.
I agree a wok isn't necessary, but it helps for several reasons:
1) The curvature of the wok concentrates the oil, so that food can be more readily immersed in it for quicker searing/cooking.
2) Once seared, in theory the food can be moved to the sloping sides of the wok to continue cooking at a lower heat. In practice thought I've found that most home size woks are a bit too small for this to work very well, since the burner flame tends to heat the sides as much as the bottom of the wok. Most restaurant woks I've seen are much larger. A wok ring will help, I suppose, but they don't fit my stove with its square burner grates, and I use a teflon coated aluminum wok with a flattened bottom so it sits on the burner on its own. But it still helps to move the food up the sides to drain the oil back into the center.
3) The sloping sides make it very easy to transfer the entire contents to a bowl or strainer over a bowl to separate out the cooking oil so it can be returned to the wok for further cooking.
That said, a chinese woman I shared a house with in college used to use a big cast iron skillet for her cooking. I didn't like it too much because it sagged in the middle and thus wasn't too good for making pancakes. But now I see why she liked it - it was almost like a wok. And she said that at home they just used flat frying pans to do their stir fry, like James says. I still have that skillet.
I guess I haven't seen this mandarin chicken on lettuce or cabbage, or just haven't noticed the lettuce.
James, what is your favorite brand of oyster sauce? I tried some Roland brand in a giant can and was very unimpressed. Kind of tasteless. The Lee Kum Kee brand in a bottle seems to be better... but I'm still not used to using it much.
1) The curvature of the wok concentrates the oil, so that food can be more readily immersed in it for quicker searing/cooking.
2) Once seared, in theory the food can be moved to the sloping sides of the wok to continue cooking at a lower heat. In practice thought I've found that most home size woks are a bit too small for this to work very well, since the burner flame tends to heat the sides as much as the bottom of the wok. Most restaurant woks I've seen are much larger. A wok ring will help, I suppose, but they don't fit my stove with its square burner grates, and I use a teflon coated aluminum wok with a flattened bottom so it sits on the burner on its own. But it still helps to move the food up the sides to drain the oil back into the center.
3) The sloping sides make it very easy to transfer the entire contents to a bowl or strainer over a bowl to separate out the cooking oil so it can be returned to the wok for further cooking.
That said, a chinese woman I shared a house with in college used to use a big cast iron skillet for her cooking. I didn't like it too much because it sagged in the middle and thus wasn't too good for making pancakes. But now I see why she liked it - it was almost like a wok. And she said that at home they just used flat frying pans to do their stir fry, like James says. I still have that skillet.
I guess I haven't seen this mandarin chicken on lettuce or cabbage, or just haven't noticed the lettuce.
James, what is your favorite brand of oyster sauce? I tried some Roland brand in a giant can and was very unimpressed. Kind of tasteless. The Lee Kum Kee brand in a bottle seems to be better... but I'm still not used to using it much.
Rich/Sudsmaster
There are two grades of Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce. The Lee Kum Kee Panda brand is cheap and it's thickened with a lot of starch and is less intense in flavor than the premium grade. Costco even carries a large bottle of the premium grade oyster sauce so it's readily available in most stores catering to Asian Americans.
I always purchase the premium grade for use at home. Because the flavor is so intense with the premium grade using a little goes a long way.
There are two grades of Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce. The Lee Kum Kee Panda brand is cheap and it's thickened with a lot of starch and is less intense in flavor than the premium grade. Costco even carries a large bottle of the premium grade oyster sauce so it's readily available in most stores catering to Asian Americans.
I always purchase the premium grade for use at home. Because the flavor is so intense with the premium grade using a little goes a long way.
whirlcool
Well-known member
I agree. It sounds like what you are looking for is Sesame Chicken. Those nut things could be Sesame Seeds.
I love Egg Foo Young, but it has long disappeared from the menu of most Chinese Restaurants I have visited over the past few years. We have developed a good recipe for use at home.
I love Egg Foo Young, but it has long disappeared from the menu of most Chinese Restaurants I have visited over the past few years. We have developed a good recipe for use at home.
James,
Thanks. The bottle I have is premium grade. It is measurably better than the cheaper Roland stuff I got a while back. I transferred the contents of the Roland stuff to glass jars and put them in the fridge, but I may well discard them since I'm so unimpressed with the stuff.
My garden is going full tilt with the italian zucchini, green beans, and snow peas, so it looks like I'll be serving up stir fry for the foreseeable future. I'll have to start trying out the LKK oyster sauce a bit more, as well.
Thanks. The bottle I have is premium grade. It is measurably better than the cheaper Roland stuff I got a while back. I transferred the contents of the Roland stuff to glass jars and put them in the fridge, but I may well discard them since I'm so unimpressed with the stuff.
My garden is going full tilt with the italian zucchini, green beans, and snow peas, so it looks like I'll be serving up stir fry for the foreseeable future. I'll have to start trying out the LKK oyster sauce a bit more, as well.
Egg Foo Young disappeared from the menu of most Chinese Rest
That's probably because it's not actually "chinese". It's what I call "Americanized Chinese food" and was created for the American palat.
That's probably because it's not actually "chinese". It's what I call "Americanized Chinese food" and was created for the American palat.
