Crunchy fried chicken tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce with crunchy vegetables and pineapple, now you can make your takeout sweet and sour chicken at home!

What is sweet and sour chicken?

Sweet and sour chicken is a popular Chinese dish that features crispy, battered chicken pieces coated in a tangy, sweet sauce. The dish typically includes chunks of chicken that are deep-fried until crispy and golden brown. This is then tossed in a sauce made from a combination of ingredients such as vinegar, sugar, ketchup or tomato sauce, and sometimes soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.

The sauce has a balance of sweet and tangy flavors, often with a vibrant red color from added food coloring or natural ingredients like tomato sauce.

Sweet and sour chicken is often served with vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, and pineapple, which add a contrast of flavors and textures to the dish. It’s commonly enjoyed as a main course served over steamed rice or noodles in both Chinese restaurants and home kitchens worldwide.

Ingredients

• Chicken: Provides the protein base for the dish, ensuring a moist and flavorful result. The velveted chicken is tender and succulent due to the marinating and cooking method.
• Vegetables (Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Green Bell Pepper): Contribute savory depth, aroma, and texture to the dish. They also add color contrast and complement the tangy sauce.

• Pineapple: Adds natural sweetness and tanginess, enhancing the overall balance of flavors. It also provides a contrasting texture.
• Oil: Used for deep-frying the chicken, resulting in a crispy texture. It also provides flavor and richness to the dish.
• Potato Starch Slurry: Creates the signature sweet and tangy flavor profile of sweet and sour chicken. It consists of water, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, sugar, and red food coloring, balancing acidity, sweetness, and depth of flavor.

Batter

• Self-Raising Flour: Provides structure to the batter and helps it to rise slightly when fried, resulting in a light and airy coating on the chicken.
• Cornflour: Adds crispiness to the batter, giving it a satisfying crunch when fried. It also helps to create a thin, delicate crust on the chicken.
• Water: Serves as the liquid component of the batter, binding the dry ingredients together to form a smooth and pourable consistency. The water also helps to hydrate the flour and cornflour, resulting in a tender and crispy coating on the chicken.

Sauce

• Water: Provides the liquid base for the sauce, ensuring it has the right consistency.
• White Vinegar: Adds tanginess to the sauce, balancing the sweetness and enhancing the overall flavor.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Contributes depth of flavor and umami notes to the sauce, complementing the other ingredients.
• Tomato Sauce: Adds sweetness, richness, and a vibrant color to the sauce, creating a visually appealing dish.
• Sugar: Balances the acidity of the vinegar and enhances the sweetness of the sauce, creating a well-rounded flavor profile.
• Red Food Coloring: Enhances the visual appeal of the dish, giving the sauce its characteristic vibrant red color.

How to fry the chicken

1. Maintain the Right Oil Temperature: It’s crucial to maintain the oil temperature at around 180°C/350°F. Too low of a temperature will result in soggy, greasy chicken, while too high of a temperature can cause the chicken to burn on the outside before it’s cooked through on the inside. Use a kitchen thermometer to monitor the oil temperature consistently.
2. Fry in Batches: Avoid overcrowding the pan or fryer when frying the chicken. Frying in batches ensures that the chicken cooks evenly and maintains its crispy texture. Overcrowding can cause the temperature of the oil to drop too much, resulting in greasy chicken.

3. Drain Excess Oil: After frying, transfer the cooked chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off any excess oil. This helps to keep the chicken crispy and prevents it from becoming greasy.
4. Keep Warm in the Oven: If frying the chicken in batches, you can keep the cooked batches warm in the oven set to a low temperature (around 200°F/93°C) while you finish frying the remaining batches. This ensures that all the chicken is served hot and crispy.
5. Monitor Cooking Time: Fry the chicken for about 10 minutes, or until it’s cooked through and golden brown. However, cooking time may vary depending on the size of the chicken pieces and the temperature of the oil, so it’s essential to monitor the chicken closely as it cooks.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

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Crunchy fried chicken tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce with crunchy vegetables and pineapple, now you can make your takeout sweet and sour chicken at home!

• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 3 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 300g Velveted chicken breast, see recipe here or skinless chicken thigh in bite-sized pieces
• One onion, cut into chunks
• 1/2 a Red bell pepper
• 1/2 a Green bell pepper
• 1/2 a 80z/250g can of pineapple pieces

Batter

• 1 cup Self-raising flour
• ½ cup Cornstarch
• 1 cup 2 tablespoon Water
• 1 litre Vegetable oil or canola oil

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1/2 cup Water
• 3 tbsp White vinegar
• 2 tsp Wosterchire sauce
• 3 tbsp Tomato sauce
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• A little bit of red food coloring

Potato starch slurry

• 1 tbsp Potato starch, or cornstarch
• 3 tbsp Water

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Instructions

Prepare the Sauce:

1. In a bowl, mix together water, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, sugar, and a few drops of red food coloring.
2. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved. Adjust the sweetness and sourness to your taste by adding more sugar or vinegar if needed.

Batter

1. Combine the flour and cornstarch in a large bowl
2. Add the water and whisk until smooth
3. Add the marinated chicken and stir until completely coated
4. Set aside and heat the oil

 Cooking

1. Heat the oil over high heat in a wok or pot until it reaches 180°C/350°F.
2. Add the chicken to the hot oil and fry for 9 minutes, or until almost cooked through and golden brown. Ensure the chicken is submerged in the oil for even cooking.
3. Add the vegetables and pineapple and fry for 1 minute
4. Carefully strain the chicken and vegetables from the oil and set it aside on a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil.
5. Set the leftover oil aside to be used next time you deep-fry. Allow it to cool completely before storing it in a clean, airtight container.
6. Heat a tablespoon of oil into the wok
7. Add the sauce and allow the mixture to come to a simmer
8. Combine the potato starch and water until smooth and add it slowly to the sauce while stirring
9. Continue to heat the sauce for another 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened
10. Add the chicken and vegetables to the sauce and toss to combine
11. Serve the sweet and sour chicken hot over cooked rice or noodles, garnish with sesame seeds or green onion if desired

• Author: Vincent Yeow Lim
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Chicken
• Method: Easy
• Cuisine: Cantonese

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serve
• Calories: 838
• Sugar: 9.2 g
• Sodium: 651.2 mg
• Fat: 50.7 g
• Carbohydrates: 65.9 g
• Fiber: 4.7 g
• Protein: 29.5 g
• Cholesterol: 73 mg