Poppers with a not-spicy option?

Amarante

Tue, Jan 03 2023, 9:42 pm

What are you describing as "poppers" because Poppers are an appetizer which is jalapeños stuffed with cheese - breaded and fried. If you remove the seeds and pith (white lines) from jalapeños they aren't that spicy.

A completely not spicy version would be Chile Rellenos which use poblano chiles which are somewhat like regular green peppers and not very spicy.

If poppers are something else in your vernacular, I am not sure what food you are asking about.

BrisketBoss

Tue, Jan 03 2023, 9:45 pm

Amarante wrote:

Poppers are cubed pieces of white meat (or I guess on Imamother we say chicken cutlets) breaded and fried and tossed in a sauce. The sauce is very sweet, a little bit spicy, thickened with cornstarch.

Amarante

Tue, Jan 03 2023, 9:52 pm

BrisketBoss wrote:

Seems more like the ubiquitous Orange Chicken that Chinese American restaurants have as one of their entrees.

I have never heard of "poppers" describing that kind of dish.

Generally Orange Chicken - or the equivalent ones like Sweet & Sour Chicken or Lemon Chicken - isn't what I would describe as "spicy" - maybe the slightest hit of some red pepper in the background.

Panda Express which is a wildly popular Chinese American chain has Orange Chicken which is their most popular dish. I have made the cloned recipe on a few occasions.''

Here is a clone version - not what I would call "spicy" but there are some savory elements like the ginger

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 egg
1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
white pepper
oil (for frying)
1⁄2 cup cornstarch
1⁄4 cup flour

ORANGE SAUCE

3 tablespoons soy sauce
3⁄4 cup orange juice
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
1 orange, zest of
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons gingerroot, minced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
1⁄2 cup green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons rice wine
1⁄2 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil

DIRECTIONS
Place chicken pieces in a large bowl, set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well, set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of the cornstarch and the flour.
Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees.
Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture, then into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.
Add chicken to wok in small batches and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown.
(Do not overcook chicken).
Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside.

FOR THE SAUCE:

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, orange juice, brown sugar and orange zest. Set aside.
Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat.
Add 1 tablespoon oil, the gingerroot, garlic, crushed red chili pepper flakes and green onions and stir-fry for just a few seconds until fragrant.
Now, add the rice wine and the soy sauce mixture you set aside above.
Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.
In a small bowl, stir together the water and cornstarch, then add it to the wok and stir until sauce has thickened. Add sesame oil if desired.

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Jan 03 2023, 10:37 pm

You just assumed it was like orange chicken and then said it's not spicy... It's not like that at all 😉

Poppers are called that at Dougie's at least. It's more like chicken nugget type than Chinese chicken that is velveted. These have breadcrumbs not cornstarch. The sauce is usually a combination of hot sauce and honey, not necessarily needing thickening.

We just left some sauceless when we made last week for the kids who like chicken nuggets and not poppers. They dipped it in ketchup or barbecue sauce.

ra_mom

Tue, Jan 03 2023, 11:23 pm

Amarante wrote:

Poppers are boneless buffalo chicken bites tossed in a hot sauce and honey mixture.

If anyone's been to Dougie's, they know them just by their famous name; hot poppers.