Create crispy Sweet and Sour Chicken at home. It’s SO easy!
Sweet and Sour Chicken has been a longtime childhood favorite. Though that statement comes with a caveat. All Sweet and Sour Chicken is not created equal and depending on the restaurant, the quality can vary greatly. Certain types of expedientChinese food establishments often produce a plate that contains far more batter than tasty chicken, and the sauce is some unholy conglomerate of what looks like corn syrup and red food dye. I don’t know about you, but personally I like my food to resemble something from whence it came.
There are generally two different methods to breading the chicken for this dish. There is the ‘fried chicken’ approach, where the breading is created by dredging the chicken in egg whites and flour. A perfectly acceptable way to make Sweet and Sour chicken. However, I prefer to dip the chicken into a mixture that resembles a pancake batter. The thick coating with the baking powder really puffs up when cooked, creating a thick, crispy coating, while keeping the chicken moist and tender.
Sweet with a bit of tang, this sweet and sour sauce contains no food dye or fruit punch. A quick simmer on the stove of oranges, lemons, and ginger create the base; while vinegar is added for zip, a little ketchup for color and added sweetness, and a touch of plum sauce to round out the flavors. A corn starch slurry thickens the sauce – this sauce is a medium thickness, so depending on your preference add little more or less corn starch slurry (but go slowly – the sauce will take a little time to thicken up once the slurry is added).
I recommend serving the sweet and sour sauce separately from the chicken. Otherwise, you run the risk of having soggy, instead of crispy chicken – and no one wants that. If you’d like, serve on top of a bed of rice garnished with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. This Sweet and Sour Chicken will be a new family favorite – and you can make it in less time than it takes to get delivery… and tastier too.
Create crispy Sweet and Sour Chicken better than takeout and no bottled sauce here!
Ingredients
Sauce
2 cups water
2 oranges, sliced ¼-inch
1 lemon, sliced ¼-inch
1-inch ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup white vinegar
⅛ cup ketchup
⅛ cup plum sauce
2 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in ¼ cup water
Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup corn starch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
⅔ cups water
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch cubes
vegetable oil
Serve with: (optional)
cooked rice
sliced scallions
Instructions
To make the sauce, bring the water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Add the orange, lemon, and ginger. Simmer for 20 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, work on the batter. In a large bowl combine the flour, corn starch, baking powder, egg, salt, pepper, and water. Whisk until smooth. Add the cubed chicken and stir to coat each piece. Allow the chicken to sit in the batter for 15 minutes.
Once the makings of the sauce has simmered, use a sieve to remove the orange, lemon, and ginger. While the sieve containing the ingredients is over the pot, use a large wooden spoon to press any remaining juice into the pot - then discard the remnants. To the pot, add the sugar, vinegar, ketchup, and plum sauce. Give the corn starch slurry a stir, in case any of it has solidified on the bottom. Then slowly stir in the corn starch slurry to the sauce. Continue to stir until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and cover.
Add at least 1-inch of vegetable oil to a wok. (If you don't have a wok, use a large sauce pan). Heat the oil to 375 degrees F. Working in batches, carefully add the battered chicken, one piece at a time. Using a spider or slotted spoon, constantly turn and move the chicken to ensure even cooking. Cook for 6 - 8 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool on a plate lined with paper towels. Continue cooking the other batches in this manner.
Serve the chicken with a side of sweet and sour sauce. (I like to serve them separately so the sauce doesn't make the battered chicken soggy). If you like, serve with rice and scallions. Enjoy!
Notes
Don't throw leftover batter away! After you are finished cooking the chicken, drizzle the extra batter into the oil and cook until golden brown. You'll have great little bits to munch on!
While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.
Orange Chicken is crispy and light due to its thin glaze.Meanwhile, Sweet and Sour Chicken is crispy with a thicker and more indulgent sauce. Their different textures make them both a delicious choice when you are craving Chinese food.
Sweet and sour chicken is a dish frequently served in Chinese restaurants in various countries in Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America and available at some restaurants in East Asia and Southeast Asia in an essentially identical version.
In American Chinese cuisine, sweet and sour sauce is traditionally made by mixing sugar or honey (the sweetness) with rice vinegar or soy sauce (the sourness), along with a dash of spices like ginger and garlic cloves for added flavor.
General Tso's chicken and sweet and sour chicken are completely different dishes. Starting with the sauce, General Tso's chicken is a sweet, spicy, and slightly tangy while sweet and sour sauce is often served on the side and is just sweet and tangy.
The discrepancy is likely due to the fact that while sweet and sour chicken aptly contains slightly more sugar than General Tso's, the latter contains way more protein, so despite being a bit more calorically dense, it's actually the healthier choice.
The origin of sweet and sour chicken was in the 18th century or even earlier from China. It spread to the United States in the early 20th century after the Chinese migrant gold miners and railroad workers turned to cookery as trades. In some countries, the dish is known as Ku lo yuk.
The Sweet and Sour Sauce has several health benefits. Its phytochemical composition enables it to become an unconventional choice when we talk about health benefits. It also has high antioxidant properties that benefit our bodies.
Even though chicken is a lean protein, the calorie count shoots way up when you batter and deep fry it and then drown it in a sugary sauce. This dish's calorie count skyrockets to over 1,000 calories due to all of that oil-soaked batter and overly-sweetened sauce.
But, presumably to cut even more costs in a competitive fast-food market, KFC doesn't actually serve real honey. Instead, it's "Honey Sauce," made from the ingredients many parents try to avoid: high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and sugar.
Serve the chicken with a side of sweet and sour sauce. (I like to serve them separately so the sauce doesn't make the battered chicken soggy). If you like, serve with rice and scallions. Enjoy!
Yes, Panda Express still has sweet and sour chicken available at many of their locations. However, it is typically a made to order item. What's the difference between sweet chili sauce and sweet and sour sauce? Sweet chili sauce is typically spicier and made with fresh or dried chilies, garlic, ginger, and vinegar.
Sweet sour sauce is basically sugar and vinegar. Spices and seasonings are added to give it a richer and more rounded flavor. Garlic, ginger, salt, pepper… Color comes from soy sauce, oyster sauce and ketchup, or other similar ingredients.
In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan, combine 3/4 cup catsup, 6 tablespoons beef broth or water, 6 tablespoons Worcestershire, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup chopped onion, and 1 teaspoon hot sauce. Simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes. Add more hot sauce to taste.
Also called plum sauce, it got its name when restaurants in the United States started serving it with Peking Duck, which is actually traditionally served with a similar sauce, hoisin (which also has a confusing name since hoisin means “seafood,” although it's not traditionally served with that).
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Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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