Chicken Tempura

Instructions

• Place chicken on a flat work surface. Slice horizontally through the middle, being careful not to cut all the way through to the other side. Open the 2 sides and spread them out like an open book. Pound out the butterflied chicken breasts until thin, and slice them in half lengthwise.
• Prepare a large bowl with some ice water. Place a shallow bowl, for the batter, inside the large bowl; this is to keep the batter cold while cooking the chicken.
• Prepare batter: place beaten egg into a large mixing bowl. Sift flour and cornstarch into beaten egg. Add lemon juice, paprika, baking soda, and salt. Add club soda and mix until ingredients are fully incorporated; a few lumps in the batter will aid in creating an airy texture, so be careful not to overmix.
• Transfer the batter into the shallow bowl sitting on ice water.
• Fill a pan with 1 inch of vegetable oil and heat over medium heat until glossy, or until the temperature of the oil hits 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Take the strips of chicken and fully coat them in the batter, adding them to the hot oil in sets of 2 or 3 at a time.
• Cook chicken until golden brown and crispy and no longer pink in the centers, about 2 minutes per side, and transfer to a serving tray.