Chicken Macadamia

This Hawaiian-inspired chicken starts with a batter that goes way beyond basic flour-and-egg. Fresh ginger, grated onion, brandy, peanut oil, and soy sauce all get blended into the coating, giving the fried chicken serious flavor before it even hits the oil.

The chicken marinates in that batter for 20 minutes, soaking up the ginger and brandy, then gets deep-fried in peanut oil until golden and crispy. Meanwhile, a sweet and sour sauce of brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch, and water simmers on the stove until thick and glossy.

Spooned over rice with the fried chicken on top and a scattering of chopped macadamia nuts for crunch, this is a plate that hits every texture and flavor: crispy, saucy, sweet, salty, and nutty.

Chef Tips

• Blend the batter until smooth. Lumps of flour or cornstarch in the coating create uneven frying and raw spots.
• Keep the oil at a steady temperature. Too hot and the batter burns before the chicken cooks through; too cool and it absorbs oil and gets greasy.
• Simmer the sauce for the full 15 minutes. Under-cooked cornstarch sauce tastes starchy and won’t cling to the chicken.
• Add the macadamia nuts right before serving. They go soft quickly once they touch the warm sauce.

Variations

• Cashew swap: Use chopped toasted cashews instead of macadamia nuts for a more affordable option with similar crunch.
• Air fryer method: Skip the deep frying and air fry the battered chicken pieces for a lighter version.