Chicken Fingers with Apricot Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for frying

Sauce:

• 2⁄3 cup apricot preserves
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons ketchup
• 6 slices unpeeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 a lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)

Chicken:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt, plus more as needed
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups cold seltzer water
• 1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves (about 2 large breasts)

Directions

Pour enough oil into a tall heavy-bottomed pot so it comes about a third of the way up the sides. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil registers 340 degrees F. Set a rack on a baking sheet, put it in the oven, and preheat to 200 degrees F.

For the Sauce: Stir the preserves, soy sauce, ketchup, and ginger in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH until the preserves melt, about 30 seconds. Stir in lemon juice and cool before serving.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the cold seltzer and whisk until batter just comes together; it should be lumpy.

Pat the chicken very dry. Cut the chicken lengthwise into 1 by 3-inch strips. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Working in small batches, dip the chicken strips into the batter to coat evenly. Fry the chicken, turning once, until richly golden and crisp, about 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a rack in oven to keep warm while frying the remaining chicken.

Cook's notes: Seltzer produces a light, airy, crisp batter. Use cold seltzer water—it makes the batter lighter and crisper. After frying the last batch, if the first few batches are soggy, recrisp them in the hot oil for 30 to 45 seconds.

Copyright 2005 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.