Matt Xiaxiang
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Main dishesSweet and sour chicken
Posted: 19/10/2024Updated: 19/10/2024
Fried battered chicken pieces coated in a tangy, sweet, and slightly sour sauce made with vinegar, sugar, and ketchup.
Simply serve with a bowl of steamed white rice.
Ingredients
Servings
Fried chicken
- 600 grams Boneless and skinless chicken thighs
- 1 large Egg
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons Light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon White pepper
- Cornflour
- 3 teaspoons Salt
- Vegetable oil
Sweet and sour sauce
- 0.5 small Green bell pepper
- 0.5 small Yellow bell pepper
- 0.5 small Red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons Light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Ketchup
- 2 tablespoons White sugar
- 100 millilitres Water
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 2 teaspoons Ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Cornflour
- 2 tablespoons Neutral oil
Instructions
Fried chicken
- Slice the chicken thighs into smaller bite-size pieces. Add to a bowl and fully combine with the light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, egg, white pepper and salt.
- Cover and leave to marinade for about 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Prepare a pot with enough vegetable oil to deep fry the chicken. Get a tray and fill with enough cornstarch to coat all pieces of chicken.
- Fully coat each piece of chicken in cornstarch before adding to the oil at a temperature of 170°C to 180°C. Fry the chicken for between 5-7 minutes and place on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil. Cook in batches if necessary.
Sweet and sour sauce
- Cut the bell peppers into bite-size pieces.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the neutral oil in a pan on medium heat. Sauté the bell peppers for 2–3 minutes until they begin to soften. Season with a little salt. Once softened remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the second tablespoon of neutral oil to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Pour in the ketchup, light soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, white sugar, salt, black pepper and water. Continuously stir.
- Once the sauce starts to bubble, add in the cornflour slurry and continue to mix until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from the heat and add both the bell peppers and fried chicken. Toss until the sauce coats everything. Serve immediately.
My notes
Cooking tips
- Marinade overnight: For a more pronounced marinade flavour in the chicken, marinade overnight if possible.
- Pre-heating the oil: Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding the pork chops to avoid them becoming greasy. Use a cooking thermometer if available or as a rough guide, if you see small bubbles forming around the tip of a submerged wooden utensil, the oil is around 170-180°C.
- Frying the chicken: Do not overcrowd the pan as this can result in uneven cooking and soggy fried chicken. Fry in batches if necessary to maintain the oil temperature.
- Cornflour slurry: Always mix cornflour with cold water before adding it to the sauce to prevent clumping. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens to your preferred consistency.
- Adjust the balance of the sweet and sour sauce: If you prefer a sweeter or more sour sauce, feel free to adjust the sugar or rice wine vinegar to suit your taste.
- Healthier and faster version: Skip the deep fryer and simply pan fry the chicken thighs instead. Remove the egg from the marinade.
Alternative ingredients
- Chicken breasts can be used instead of chicken thighs however will generally not be as tender. Other meats such as pork can be used as well.
- Potato starch or flour can work for dredging, though cornstarch provides a lighter, crispier coating.
- Mirin can be substituted for Shaoxing wine if necessary.
- Add or substitute other vegetables like brown onion or carrots for added colour and nutrition in the sauce. Pineapple and its juice are also commonly used to enhance the sweetness of this dish.
Storage instructions
I would advise storing the sauce and fried chicken separately to maximise the longevity of the fried chicken's crispy coating. Allow the fried chicken to cool completely at room temperature.
- Refrigeration: Store both the sauce and fried chicken up to 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing: Store for up to 3 months.
Re-heating instructions
- Oven: To re-heat the fried chicken in the oven without losing too much fat, preheat to 175°C. Place the fried chicken on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Cook for 10-15 minutes until hot or an additional 10 minutes if cooking from frozen. Let them rest briefly to keep them juicy.
- Stove: Re-heat the fried chicken and sweet and sour sauce in a pan with small amount of water over medium-low heat. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until hot throughout.
- Microwave: This is the fastest method to re-heat the fried chicken and sweet and sour sauce. Place in a microwave for 2-3 minutes or until hot throughout.
Nutrition and dietary facts
(Per serving) Calories: 689kcal (31%), Protein: 33g (55%), Fat: 42g (53%), Saturated fat: 9.2g (61%), Carbohydrates: 23.4g (9%), Sugars: 2.5g (10%), Fibre: 2g (7%)
Note: The nutritional information provided for this recipe is an estimate based on ingredients and cooking instructions as described - it is intended for informational purposes only.