Our Process
After receiving this assignment, we narrowed our recipes down to three; the Chilean stuffed breast, Chinese chicken and gravy, and mozzarella chicken sticks. Originally we planned on making the mozzarella chicken sticks our main product, however after cooking each of these dishes we discovered that the chicken and gravy dish was the one that was the most successful both in taste and in preparation. Once we decided on making the chicken and gravy stir fry our main dish the real fun began: making it our own. After some trial and error we found the winning ingredients: barbecue sauce. While this may seem like an odd combination, the sweet and spicy mixture turned out to be the perfect complement and our BBQ Fusion dish was born.
Frying the Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 tablespoons- All Purpose Four
4 tablespoons- Corn Flour
A pinch of Salt
1 teaspoon- Black Pepper Powder-
1 teaspoon- Soy Sauce
Gravy
2 tablespoons- Vegetable Oil
1 tablespoon- Butter
3 broken- Dry Red Chilies
1 teaspoon- Ginger chopped finely
1 tablespoon- Garlic chopped finely
1 diced Onion
2 tablespoons- Tomato Ketchup
1.5 teaspoons- Soy Sauce
A pinch of Salt
1 teaspoon- Vinegar
1 teaspoon- Sugar
1 teaspoon- Black Pepper Powder
1 teaspoon-Corn Flour
2 tablespoons- BBQ sauce
Water as needed.
We took two boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut them into squares approximately two inches in diameter. We then breaded the chicken with a mixture of all-purpose flour, corn flour, salt, and pepper. Next we placed the chicken in the fryer for approximately three minutes until the internal temperature was 165 degrees Fahrenheit. While the chicken was being prepared we began making the gravy mixture. We started with two tablespoons of vegetable oil poured into a skillet and began heating it, we then added one tablespoon of butter, three red chili peppers that were broken in half, one teaspoon of finely chopped garlic, one diced onion, one teaspoon chopped ginger, one teaspoon soy sauce, two teaspoons black pepper powder, a pinch of salt, one teaspoon of sugar, one teaspoon of vinegar, and two tablespoons of barbecue sauce. We added approximately one half cup of water, and one teaspoon of cornstarch to thicken the gravy. Lastly we added the chicken and our creation was born.
We breaded the chicken with a simple mix of all purpose flour, corn flour, salt and pepper. This was done to improve the texture and add a little bit of flavor to the meat. We then added soy sauce which also improved the flavor and caused the meat to be juicier due to the water component of the sauce. Even though it is only a teaspoon it effectively eliminates the rubbery texture obtained when the meat is fried without the sauce. After frying, which also contributed to texture and flavor, we added the chicken to the gravy and utilized the caramelization of the onions to increase the sweetness of the dish. The corn starch that was added at the end underwent gelation which is denaturation and aggregation of the proteins under heat to form a stable matrix. The gelation process is essential because without it the gravy would be a thin, runny substance with low viscosity. Because a protein matrix is formed during gelation this allowed the gravy to be thick and to hold to the meat and vegetable components well.
Team Member Roles
Sarah: E-portfolio and Food Prep
Tyler: Recipe Research and Food Prep
Slater: Cost/Marketing and Food Prep
Meredith: Group Reflections and Food Prep
