Sweet and Sour Chicken

4.96 from 48 votes

Classic Chinese sweet and sour chicken (Hong Kong style) made with pineapple, peppers, onions, and crispy chicken, tossed in a sweet and sour sauce with the perfect balance of tanginess to sweetness.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 464kcal

Author: Joyce Lee

Ingredients

Fruit and Vegetables

½ cup bell pepper (any color, cut into 1 inch cubes)
½ cup pineapple (highly recommend using fresh pineapple, but canned pineapple works too)
½ white onion (cut into 1 inch cubes)

Marinade

1 lb chicken (boneless, dark or white meat cut into 1 inch cubes)
2 cloves garlic (approx. ¾ tablespoon)
1 slice ginger (approx ½ tablespoon)
¼ onion (approx. 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or low sodium)
½ tablespoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine (if you don't have this, omit it)

Batter

1 cup corn starch (divided in half)

Sweet and Sour Sauce

¼ cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons oil
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Corn Starch Slurry (To Thicken Sauce)

2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cold water

Instructions

Preparation

Cut ½ white onion and ½ cup bell pepper into 1-inch chunks and set aside
If you are using fresh pineapple, core and peel it and then cut them into 1-inch chunks and set aside. If you are using canned pineapple, drain it and cut them into 1-inch chunks if you are using pineapple rings. Put them in a bowl and set them aside.

Marinating the Chicken

Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks and place it in a bowl.
Grate the 1 slice ginger, 2 cloves garlic, and ¼ onion and put it all in the bowl with the chicken.
Alternatively, you can also chop the ginger, garlic, and onion into small pieces and blitz them in a food processor. You may also need to add the soy sauce and Shaoxing wine into the food processor with the ginger, garlic, and onions to help it blend more smoothly into a paste. Add the blended aromatics into the bowl with the chicken.
Add 2 tablespoons light soy sauce and ½ tablespoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine to the bowl and mix everything very well.
Let it marinate for 1 hour.

Battering the Chicken

Once the chicken has finished marinating, in the bowl or plate - separate them slightly so they are not clumped together into a tall pile.
Add half the cornstarch over the chicken and gently toss it until each piece has been coated with the cornstarch.
Let it rest for 5 minutes until the cornstarch has absorbed the marinade and moisture, and the batter looks gummy and moist.
Add the rest of the cornstarch to a large plate and dip each piece of chicken into it one by one until each piece is well coated.

Deep Frying the Chicken

If you are using a deep fryer, set the temperature to 350F (180C) and wait for the oil to get to temp.
If you are using a frying pan or shallow pot, set the heat to medium heat and make sure there is at least 1 inch of oil in the pan. To test if the oil is hot enough in a pot, use a wooden chopstick or the back of a wooden spoon and dunk it in the oil. If it starts to bubble, the oil is hot enough to start deep frying.
Add the chicken in when the oil is hot, careful not to overcrowd the pan. (Depending on how big your pan is, you may need to do it in 2 batches).
Cook the chicken for approximately 3 minutes until it is crispy and browned.
Once the chicken has finished deep frying, remove it from the oil for about 1 minute, and then re-fry (double fry) it again for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Remove the crispy fried chicken and let it drain on a rack or a plate with something absorbent like newspaper or paper bag and set aside.

Putting It Together

In a clean frying pan, add 2 tablespoons oil, and set the stove to medium heat.
Add in ¼ cup tomato paste when the oil is hot and toast the tomato paste for 1-2 minutes until the oil has turned orange
Add in ½ cup white vinegar, ¼ cup water, ½ cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce and mix well and let it cook for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, dissolve 2 teaspoons cornstarch in 2 teaspoons cold water. Slowly pour it into the sauce but make sure you are constantly stirring it so it doesn't clump.
Once the sauce has thickened, add in the peppers, pineapples, and onions and cook it for 1 minute. Use your spatula to separate the onion chunks into smaller pieces.
Add in the crispy chicken pieces and stir fry them to coat each piece of chicken with the sweet and sour sauce.
Once all the chicken pieces have been coated, turn off the heat.
Try not to cook the crispy chicken in the sauce for too long, this will make the batter soggy. You just want to quickly coat the crispy chicken with the sweet and sour sauce for no more than 30 seconds to 1 minute and then plate it.
Plate it and serve with rice! Happy Eats! 🙂

Notes

To keep the chicken crispy and prevent it from getting soggy, make sure you don't cook the deep-fried chicken in the sauce for too long. The longer you cook it in the sauce, the soggier it will be. I like to add the chicken at the very end, toss it for about 20-30 seconds and then turn off the heat.
If you don't have Shaoxing wine for the marinade, you can substitute it with dry sherry or omit it.
Alternatively, you can use potato starch instead of cornstarch as the batter, which will give you a harder and crunchier batter. If you use potato starch, it's incredibly important to fry the chicken in smaller batches and make sure each piece of chicken is not touching when you initially put it in the pan, or it will all clump together. Once the chicken pieces form a more solid, crispy shell, you can move them around in the oil.

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