Main Dishes
Sweet and Sour Chicken
This Sweet and Sour Chicken is coated in the most awesome batter ever and covered in a sauce with
- Serves 4 servings
- Prep 20 minutes
- Cook 10 minutes
- Total 30 minutes
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This Sweet and Sour Chicken is coated in the most awesome batter ever and covered in a sauce with the perfect blend of sweet and sour.
It tastes so much better than takeout and if you don’t mind frying food, it’s really not at all difficult to make.
This is a recipe I’ve adapted just a little from Cook’s Country Magazine. It is one of my favorite cooking resources for family-friendly recipes.
The batter is super thick but tastes light and fries up golden brown and crunchy. It’s made from equal parts flour and cornstarch plus both baking powder and baking soda.
The sweet and sour sauce is made from pineapple juice, orange juice, vinegar, ketchup, a whole bunch of sugar, and a few red pepper flakes.
Next time you’re craving Chinese food, forget the takeout and make homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken. The whole family will thank you for it.
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Recipe slightly adapted from Cook’s Country
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Recipe
Sweet and Sour Chicken
This Sweet and Sour Chicken has a super crispy and light batter and is coated in a delicious sauce with just the right balance between sweet and sour. Better than takeout!
- Serves 4 servings
- Prep 20 minutes
- Cook 10 minutes
- Total 30 minutes
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 red bell pepper (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 red onion (cut into chunks)
- 4 green onions (cut into 1-inch pieces)
Instructions
- 1
Combine pineapple juice, orange juice, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, red pepper flakes, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until reduced to 1 1/2 cups.
- 2
Dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 1 tablespoon of water and add to sauce. Cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Set sauce aside.
- 3
Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and cover half of rack with paper towels.
- 4
Cut chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch wide strips on a slight bias. Cut long strips in half. Pat dry with paper towels. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- 5
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
- 6
Whisk in water and 3 tablespoons oil until smooth. Place chicken in batter and stir to coat all pieces.
- 7
Pour 1 1/2 inches oil into a Dutch oven. Heat oil to 375 degrees.
- 8
Use a fork to spear chicken pieces and another fork or spoon to slide chicken off fork and into oil. Fry in batches and do not crowd pan. Keep oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees.
- 9
Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
- 10
Place chicken on paper towel-lined rack. Once paper towels have absorbed excess oil, move to side of rack without paper towels.
- 11
Once all chicken is cooked, turn heat off and add peppers and red onion to oil. Fry for 1 minute and remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- 12
Add green onions to oil for 5 to 10 seconds and transfer to plate with peppers and red onion.
- 13
Reheat sauce and toss 1 cup of sauce with chicken, red pepper, and both onions.
- 14
Serve remaining sauce separately.
Nutrition
- Calories562 kcal
