Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken
This Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken is a delicious restaurant-style dish made with aromatic ingredients. It's ready in 30 minutes and can be served with rice or noodles.
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Indulge in the perfect balance of sweet and sour with this mouth-watering chicken dish, a favorite for many. Crispy chicken pieces are coated in a sticky, flavorful sauce to create a memorable main. This crowd-pleaser is sure to become a staple in your recipe collection.
This dish can be served as dinner with white rice, egg fried rice, or noodles. For§ a healthier option, serve with Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad or Asian Carrot Salad.
Why This Recipe Works
- It is a tasty fakeaway recipe that can be made at home.
- This delicious dish is ready in 30 minutes.
- You can adjust the recipe to suit your taste.
- It can be served buffet-style with Singapore Rice Noodles and Simple Prawn Fried Rice Recipe.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Fresh chicken fillets: For this recipe, use fresh chicken fillets. If you are taking them out of the freezer, defrost them overnight.
- Eggs, flour, and cornflour: These three ingredients are needed to make the notorious crispy, golden coat of the chicken.
- Ketchup: I use Heinz ketchup for this recipe because it is my favorite. You can use any other ketchup of your choice.
- Mixed Bell pepper: For a burst of freshness, add red, yellow, and green mixed bell peppers.
- Vinegar: Vinegar gives this recipe its notorious tangy flavor. Malted vinegar is usually used for this recipe.
- Onions, garlic, and ginger: These ingredients will lift the flavor of this dish. I prefer to use fresh onions, garlic and ginger.
Tips and Substitutions
- Seasoning: Season the plain flour with enough salt, powdered garlic, and paprika. Otherwise, the chicken will taste bland.
- Chicken: The chicken pieces are double-fried in this recipe to achieve an extra crispy texture.
- Seasoning: Taste this recipe as you go along and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
How to Make Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornflour, all-purpose flour, salt, white pepper, eggs, water, and garlic powder until smooth. Set aside.
2. Cut three chicken fillets into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken to the prepared batter, ensuring each piece is thoroughly coated. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
3. While the chicken is marinating, mix ketchup, malt vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce (optional) in a separate bowl until well combined.
4. Next, fry the chicken pieces deep or shallow over medium to high heat for 5-7 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the chicken and drain the excess oil on a paper towel. Then, fry the chicken again for extra crispiness and set aside for later.
5. Heat a little oil in a pan. Then, add the onions, ginger, and garlic, and sauté on medium heat for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the bell peppers and continue to cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes.
6. Then, pour the sauce into the pan and simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring until it thickens. Add the pineapple chunks.
7. Then, add the crispy chicken pieces to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on medium to high heat, stirring to coat the chicken in the sauce.
8. Finally, sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
9. Plate your Chinese sweet and sour chicken with rice or noodles and garnish with sesame seeds and Chinese Beef Noodles.
Recipe FAQs
Most sweet and sour sauces are made with a combination of sugar, vinegar, spices, and ketchup.
Refrigerate it in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Serve it with white rice, egg fried rice, plain noodles or stir-fried vegetables.
More Delicious East Asian Recipes
Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken
Equipment
- Frying pan or wok
Ingredients
Crispy Chicken
- 3 chicken fillets
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoon of water
- ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornflour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 1 onion chopped into large chunks
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed or minced
- 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger minced
- ¾ cup of tomato ketchup
- 5 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon of malt vinegar
- 1 teaspoon of soy sauce optional
- 1.25 cups of pineapple chunks
- Sesame seeds
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine cornflour, all-purpose flour, salt, white pepper, eggs, water and garlic powder. Whisk well and set aside.
- Next, chop three chicken fillets into bite-sized chunks. Then, add the chicken pieces to the batter. Mix and ensure that the chicken pieces are fully coated. Set aside for 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine ketchup, malt vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce (optional) in a bowl and stir.
- Deep or shallow fry the chicken pieces on medium to high heat for 5-7 minutes or until golden and done. Remove the chicken from the oil and let it soak up excess oil on a paper towel. Fry the chicken pieces again for an extra crispy coating.
- Heat a splash of oil in a pan. Add the onions, ginger, and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant on medium heat. Then, add the bell peppers and cook and stir for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, pour the sauce into the pan, stir on low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until it thickens, and add the pineapple chunks.
- Then, add the fried chicken pieces to the pan, cook on medium to high heat for two minutes, and stir.
- Serve this delicious sweet and sour chicken with rice or noodles and garnish with sesame seeds.
Notes
- Seasoning: Mix plain flour with a generous amount of salt, garlic powder, and paprika to ensure the chicken is well-flavored and not bland.
- Chicken: The chicken pieces are fried twice for extra crispiness in this recipe.
- Adjustments: Taste the dish as you cook and tweak the seasoning for the perfect flavor.
