How To Make Authentic Chinese Sweet And Sour Chicken Recipes

CANTONESE SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces, about half the length of your thumb.
• In a bowl, add all the marinade ingredients EXCEPT the beaten egg white. Keep this in a separate bowl for now. Add the meat to the marinade and leave for 20 minutes.
• Get a plate ready to put all your prepared vegetables on. These should be bite size pieces, so the peppers, I usually cut in half, remove the seeds and pith from inside, then cut into squares, about 2 cm wide/long.
• The onion, cut into quarters or eighths and separate each layer so they will cook evenly.
• The spring onions/scallions, chop into little 1/2 cm pieces and keep separate from the rest of your vegetables.
• The ginger, peel (I just scrape the skin off with a knife), and chop finely.
• Add all the ingredients EXCEPT the hot water into a measuring jug. Mix well so the cornflour has combined. Add the hot water to make up the liquid mixture to total 1 pint or 1 1/2 cups or 0.6 quart.
• Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. The sauce will thicken as the starch cooks, and you will notice a change in color to a deeper orange/red. Make sure you keep stirring to avoid any lumps.
• When thick enough (consistency of yogurt) turn off the heat.
• You need 2 shallow dishes and a flat plate or baking tray.
• Add the beaten egg white into the chicken meat marinade and mix well, making sure every piece of chicken is coated with the egg white. Use your fingers!
• Put the 2 beaten eggs and the 1 egg yolk leftover from the chicken marinade in a shallow dish and beat lightly.
• In another shallow dish weigh out the cornstarch /cornflour (500g / 4 cups)
• Heavily cover a baking tray or large dish with cornflour or flour. (this will be used to put the chicken pieces on, once they are coated.
• Now you need to set up a mini production line, egg dish, then flour dish, then the plate / baking tray.
• Coat the pieces of chicken in egg, then in the flour, pushing the flour all over, making sure it sticks to the meat. Repeat egg & flour coat one more time then place on the plate / baking tray, making sure not to overlap the chicken on the plate. Make sure your plate is well floured otherwise the meat will stick to the plate and all your coating will come off!
• Heat the oil. Test the temperature by putting a little bit of the flour in. If it sizzles to the top, it's hot enough.
• Place the pieces of chicken in the oil, turn after a few minutes or when light golden brown, and do the same on the other side. Remove onto kitchen paper when done. Take care not to overlap the chicken pieces in the tray. You may have to cook the chicken in batches if you are using a small pan.
• Heat up the sauce from earlier until starting to bubble, stir to avoid lumps.
• Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to your wok and heat at a high temperature. Add ginger and mix it into the oil.
• Add all the other ingredients from your prepared vegetable plate EXCEPT the scallions/spring onions (they will go slimy & soft if you cook them now). Stir fry all ingredients until semi soft. You can test a pepper yourself to see if it is to your preference.
• Add the chicken pieces and stir/mix them into the vegetables. Make sure your wok is on the highest heat possible. Take care not to damage the coating when you are mixing it all together.
• I find it easiest to use chopsticks in one hand and a wide spatula in the other to turn and toss the food in a wok, however, 2 spatulas will work too if you aren't confident with the chopsticks!
• Add the heated sauce into the stir fry and mix well so that all the chicken, vegetables are coated with the sauce.
• Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the scallions/spring onions over your creation.
• Serve with a lovely bowl of hot Fragrant Jasmine Rice and give yourself ONE HUGE PAT ON THE BACK for making one of the most popular Cantonese dishes in the world!

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Steps:

• Set aside ½ cup of pineapple juice from your can of pineapple, and reserve ⅔ cup of the pineapple chunks (if using). Set aside.
• Combine the hot water, salt, sugar, and ketchup. Stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved, and then add the vinegar and pineapple juice (if using). If not using pineapple juice, replace with ½ cup water or chicken stock. Set aside.
• Cut your chicken into uniform 1 inch chunks (for even cooking) and place into a bowl. Add the garlic and onion powders, sesame oil, white pepper and salt. Mix until all pieces are uniformly coated, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Any excess water should be fully absorbed by the chicken. If not, mix the chicken again and let it sit for another 5 minutes.
• Mix together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl, and add 2/3 cup of ice water. Use a fork to mix until a batter is formed, and stir in 1 tablespoon of oil. Set aside.
• The amount of oil you need depends on the size of the pot you will use. Using a larger pot uses more oil, but allows you to cook the chicken in fewer batches. Using a smaller pot uses less oil, but you'll have to fry more batches of chicken. We usually go for a smaller pot, so we have less leftover oil. Heat the oil in a small pot until it reaches 335°F/170°C.
• Place 5 to 6 pieces of marinated chicken into the batter. Use a chopstick, fork, or your fingers to coat the chicken in the batter and place each piece slowly into the oil.
• Use a slotted spoon to carefully turn the chicken so all sides are uniformly fried. Fry for about 2 minutes, or until the batter is a light golden brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and let any excess oil drain off before placing onto a rack or paper towel lined plate.
• Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a wok over medium high heat, and add the red onion and peppers. Stir-fry for 30 seconds.
• Next, add the sweet and sour sauce you prepared earlier and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the sauce is simmering.
• Combine the cornstarch and water to make a uniform slurry. While stirring the sweet and sour sauce, drizzle the slurry in gradually until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon (you may not need all of the slurry). Turn down the heat and give the sauce a quick taste--now is the time to add more salt, vinegar or sugar if desired.
• Add the pineapple chunks (if using) and stir until warmed through. Now is the time to refry the chicken to make them nice and crispy. Heat the oil up to 335°F/170°C and fry the chicken in two batches for about 45 seconds each time. Then add the chicken pieces to your sauce, and gently toss with your wok spatula until the chicken is coated. Serve immediately!

CHINESE SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, cornstarch, cold water, ginger, garlic, and black pepper in a bowl.
• Add chicken breasts to marinade and stir to coat.
• Pour the marinade and chicken into a 9x9-inch square baking dish.
• Cover and marinate chicken in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Bake chicken in marinade until meat is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, about 40 minutes, turning midway through cooking.

CHINESE RESTAURANT STYLE SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix marinde together and add chicken.
• Marinate chicken in refrigerator from 1 hour to 24 hours.
• Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, eggs, vegetable oil and water to make the batter smooth.
• Remove chicken from marinde.
• Combine marinade, with the 2 tablespoons of water, melted butter, food coloring, and slowly whisking in 2 tablespoons of corn starch in a sauce pan over medium heat.
• Stirring often for 15-20 minutes or until thickened.
• Dip chicken pieces into batter and fry until golden brown.
• You can then place the chicken into the sauce or use the sauce as a dipping sauce.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut the chicken breast meat into bite-size cubes and marinate with 1 tablespoon of wine for 10 minutes. Mix the batter in a bowl and add the chicken cubes into the batter. Mix the Sweet and Sour sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
• Heat up cooking oil in a wok and deep fry the chicken cubes. (Shake off the extra batter before frying). Transfer the chicken out on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Transfer the cooking oil out and leave only 2 tablespoons oil in the wok.
• Add garlic and saute the garlic until light brown and then follow by the green bell peppers. Stir-fry until you smell the aroma. Add the sweet and sour sauce into the wok and bring it to boil. Toss in the chicken, tomatoes and add the chopped scallions, do a few quick stirs, dish out and serve immediately with steamed white rice.

EASY SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine flour, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish.
• Roll and coat chicken cubes in flour mixture.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
• Cook and stir chicken in hot oil until not longer pink in the center and juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes; remove and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the same skillet over medium heat.
• Cook and stir celery, green peppers, and onion in heated oil until slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
• Return chicken to the skillet.
• Whisk ketchup, lemon juice, pineapple, and brown sugar in a bowl; pour into the skillet; bring to a boil.
• Cook and stir chicken and vegetables in sauce until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN I

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice, and orange food coloring. Heat to boiling. Turn off heat. Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; slowly stir into saucepan. Continue stirring until mixture thickens.
• Combine flour, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, salt, white pepper, and egg. Add 1 1/2 cups water gradually to make a thick batter. Stir to blend thoroughly. Add chicken pieces, and stir until chicken is well coated.
• Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Fry chicken pieces in hot oil 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove chicken, and drain on paper towels.
• When ready to serve, layer green peppers, pineapple chunks, and cooked chicken pieces on a platter. Pour hot sweet and sour sauce over top.