Sweet and Sour Chicken
سویٹ اینڈ ساور چکن
Sweet and sour chicken is the dish children pick from a Chinese menu, and quietly the one many adults finish first. Crisp fried chicken meets a bright, glossy sauce that's equal parts sweet and tangy, with chunks of pineapple, capsicum and onion for crunch. It's mild, colourful and easy to get right at home.
- ⏱ Total: 40 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 20 min
- Easy
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Coat the chicken with the egg, 4 tablespoons of cornflour, the flour and the salt.
Fry the chicken in hot oil in batches for 4–5 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on a rack, then pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil.
Stir-fry the garlic for a few seconds, then the onion and capsicum for 1 minute. Add the pineapple chunks.
Add the pineapple juice, ketchup, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then thicken with 1 tablespoon of cornflour mixed with 3 tablespoons of water until glossy.
Add the chicken, toss to coat and serve immediately with rice.
Kitchen notes
Tinned pineapple is ideal here, since its juice sweetens the sauce. If using fresh pineapple, add a little extra sugar and use orange juice in place of the tinned juice.
Taste the sauce before adding the chicken. It should be clearly sweet and clearly sour at the same time; adjust with sugar or vinegar.
A favourite with children
On a Pakistani family’s Chinese order, sweet and sour chicken is the dish for younger children and anyone who finds the others too spicy. It has no chili at all, just a tangy, fruity sweetness, and its bright orange colour and pineapple chunks make it look like a treat.
The sauce in proportion
A good sweet and sour sauce is a balance of three things: sugar and pineapple for sweetness, vinegar for sourness, and ketchup and soy sauce for depth and colour. The amounts here give a balanced sauce, but pineapples and ketchups vary, so taste it before the chicken goes in.
Crispness
The chicken gets a thicker batter than in black pepper chicken so it can hold up to the sauce. For an extra-crisp result, fry it twice. Fry it once until pale gold, rest it for a few minutes, then fry it again in hotter oil for a minute.
Serving
Serve it with steamed rice or fried rice. On a table with spicier dishes such as chilli chicken or Szechuan chicken, it gives everyone something mild.
Questions people ask
Can I make it without pineapple?
Yes. Replace the pineapple juice with orange juice or water and add a little more sugar. Add cubes of carrot or tomato for colour.
Why does the restaurant sauce look redder?
Many restaurants add a pinch of red food colour. Extra ketchup gives a deeper colour naturally.
How do I keep the chicken crisp?
Make the sauce first, then add the freshly fried chicken right at the end and serve at once.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 440
- Protein
- 28 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
