Asian Chicken Fritters
It is not everyday that you encounter a person who you connect with on both a professional and personal level, and equally so, at that. But such is the case with my new friend, Aviva Goldfarb of The Six O’Clock Scramble fame.
For years now, I have been watching Aviva from the sidelines, cheering her successes as her subscription-based web site, The Six O’Clock Scramble, has grown and her cookbooks have been published. Her name is psynonemous with family meals here in DC and she is quoted with frequency across media outlets. TV appearances, articles in The Washington Post–what hasn’t Aviva accomplished? All this notoriorty had me tentative to reach out to see if there would be some connection, some possibility of collaboration. But lo and behold, an email to a mutual friend (thank you, Betsy!) resulted in an immediate coffee date, which led to a field trip and grand schemes of partnership possibilities–stay tuned while we percolate! Meanwhile, I started cooking my way through some of Aviva’s recipes and quickly found a family favorite.
Asian Chicken Fritters is the first recipe that appears in Aviva Goldfarb’s newest cookbook, The Six O’Clock Scramble Meal Planner: A Year of Quick, Delicious Meals to Help You Prevent and Manage Diabetes. The ingredients appealed to my Asian-leaning sensibilities but it was the technique of cubing the chicken breast and forming it into patties that piqued my curiously. I’ve made vegetable patties before, plenty of crab cakes and salmon croquettes but chicken? I had to give it a try.
As anyone would do when trying a new recipe, I doubled down by literally doubling the recipe. The plan was to deliver half to a friend in the midst of a kitchen renovation. “Aviva, don’t let me down,” was the mantra running through my head as I easily assembled the fritters. A quick fry in my skillet and they were ready for my always skeptical yet ever-willing band of testers…my kids. One dipped a bite in duck sauce, another mayo (not suggested in the recipe introduction, but used nevertheless) and the third tried it straight up. Smiles, all around! Asian Chicken Fritters were a unanimous hit. I was off to deliver a batch to my friend as my kids happily worked their way though seconds and thirds.
So please, give this recipe a try. They are a perfect weeknight dinner, served with a side of edamame. Asian Chicken Fritters would even work as an hors d’oeuvre if made bite-sized and served with a sweet chili dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Asian Chicken Fritters
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-1/2-inch chunks
- 1 (8-oz) can diced water chestnuts, drained and chopped into 1/4-1/2-inch chunks
- 6 scallions, dark and light green parts, thinly sliced
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 c flour
- 1/4 c reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 3 Tbls canola or vegetable oil
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the oil.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (a cast iron skillet, if you have one), heat half of the oil.
- When the oil is hot, scoop the chicken mixture into the skillet (an ice cream shop works well) making sure not to crowd the pan (you should work in batches, using the remaining oil for the second batch).
- Fry the fritters without moving them until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes per side, and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the fritters until they are cooked through, 6-8 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
- Makes 12 fritters, serving 6 people.
- You can eat these on buns, if desired. Serve with sweet chili sauce, duck sauce, spicy mustard or even mayonnaise, for dipping.
- To boost the flavor, you can add 2 Tbls of either Asian sweet chili sauce or teriyaki sauce to the batter but my family enjoyed the original recipe.