Regional Chinese American Recipe

War Su Gai / Almond Boneless Chicken

War su gai, also known as almond boneless chicken, is a regional Chinese American dish of fried chicken served with gravy, lettuce, and almonds.

Recipe at a glance

PurposeAdditional Chinese restaurant menu recipe family
Cuisine or formatRegional Chinese American
Consolidation ruleClosely related menu names are treated as one recipe family when the sauce, technique, or format is the same.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless chicken breast or thighs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch or flour-starch mix
  • Oil for frying
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • White pepper
  • Cornstarch slurry
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Toasted almonds

Method

  1. Coat chicken in egg and starch mixture.
  2. Fry until crisp and cooked through.
  3. Rest and slice chicken.
  4. Simmer stock with soy sauce and white pepper.
  5. Thicken into a smooth gravy.
  6. Place lettuce on a plate, add chicken, and spoon gravy over it.
  7. Top with almonds.

Menu-literacy notes

  • This dish is strongly associated with regional Chinese American menus, especially in parts of the Midwest.
  • It is not the same as almond chicken ding.
  • The gravy-and-lettuce presentation is part of the dish identity.

Menu appearances covered by this recipe

  • War Su Gai
  • Almond Boneless Chicken
  • Wor Sue Gai

Variations and substitutions

  • Adjust protein, vegetables, and heat level only when the core technique and sauce remain recognizable.
  • For allergies or religious dietary needs, check sauces, broth, wrappers, cooking wine, nuts, sesame, shellfish, and shared wok or fryer use.
  • For restaurant-style versions, texture matters as much as flavor: fried items should stay crisp, noodles should not become mushy, and sauces should coat rather than flood the dish.

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