Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe with Easy Homemade Sauce

Sweet and Sour ChickenEasy Homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe. Sweet and sour recipes are common in Asia and in England. It is a popular recipe in Europe and America. This sweet and sour chicken recipe is similar to the orange chicken recipe with a slight difference in the sauce used for each recipe. It is easy and can be made at home and still tastes like a restaurant-style.

Table of Contents

Ingredients

  • 250 grams of Chicken. This could be the chicken breast, chicken thighs, or chicken wings. Any part can be used for this recipe.
  • 1/2 of Red Bell Pepper (chopped)
  • 3 tbsp of Vinegar. There is no specific type of vinegar for this sweet and sour recipe, any type you prefer can do be it white vinegar, malt vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
  • 1/2 tsp of White Pepper Powder
  • 3 tbsp of Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp of Salt
  • 1 tbsp of Light Soy Sauce.
  • 1/2 of Green Bell Pepper (chopped)
  • 1 and a half tbsp of Flour
  • 5 tbsp of Ketchup
  • 1 tbsp of Corn Flour and 1 egg white. The cornstarch and egg white create a coating around the chicken.

How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken from Scratch

  • To make this Chinese sweet and sour chicken, start by marinating the chicken. Remember that you can use any type of chicken part. I used chicken breast but chicken thighs or chicken wings can do as well. Cut into small chunks of bite sizes.
  • To the mixing bowl containing the chicken parts, add 1/2 tsp of white pepper powder and 1/2 tsp of salt.
  • Stir to combine the ingredients and then marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes.

Making Sweet and Sour Chicken Batter

  • Next, in another bowl, make the sweet and sour chicken batter by mixing 1 and a half tbsp of flour, 1 egg white, 1/4 tsp of baking powder, 1 tbsp of cornflour, and 2 tbsp of chilled water. The chilled water can be adjusted by continuously adding 1 tbsp at a time until you have a smooth and runny batter for the sweet and sour chicken recipe.
  • Using a hand whisk, mix until you have a runny batter.
Sweet and sour chicken batter poured on the chicken chunks
Pouring the sweet and sour chicken batter over the marinated chicken.

Coating and Frying the Marinated Chicken

  • After marinating the chicken, pour the batter over it and then stir to coat the chicken.
  • Now, place a pan on the stovetop and add enough cooking oil to deep fry the marinated and coated chicken. In Chinese recipes such as this and other stir-fries, a Wok is commonly used. If you don’t have as I do, you can use your pan. If you want your chicken tender and soft, you can use a crock pot. Whatever cooking utensil you decide to use depends on how you want the chicken to turn out.
  • Allow the oil to heat up and then add the chicken to it and deep fry until the chicken is golden brown on each side. Remember to turn the chicken over to the other side and fry as well.
  • Remove the fried chicken from the oil and drain and keep aside.

Making the Sweet and Sour Chicken Sauce

  • In a small bowl, combine 3 tbsp of white granulated sugar, 5 tbsp of tomato ketchup, 3 tbsp of vinegar, and 1 tbsp of light soy sauce.
  • Use a hand whisk and stir to mix completely and keep aside.
  • Place a pan on heat and add 1/2 tsp of cooking oil to it.
  • Add 2 tbsp of chopped onions and stir fry for 1 minute then bring in the red and green bell peppers and stir fry as well until they are soft or for a minute.
  • Now, pour in the sauce you prepared into the pan, stir continuously until it thickens a bit and starts bubbling.
  • Next, bring in the fried chicken and stir to combine and coat well with the sauce.
  • Cook for another 1 or 2 minutes and your homemade sweet and sour chicken recipe is ready. This is similar to the types in the restaurants and it is easy to make. It can be served with boiled rice.

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Variations

There are variations to sweet and sour chicken recipes. Some people prefer frying or baking the chicken. The chicken can be baked in the oven before being toast with the sweet and sour sauce. If you want it crispy, you can bake for a longer time or fry the chicken until it is crispy.

There are different flavoring often added to this Chinese recipe; pineapple is a common flavoring and adds to the sour taste.

Nutrition and Calories

A serving contains about 602 calories and 92g of carbs. It also contains 41 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat, and 190 mg of Cholesterol.

Minerals and vitamins include about 580 mg of sodium, 2.5 mg of Iron, 65 mg of Calcium, and 1082 mg Potassium. Vitamins include Vitamin A which makes up about 1385 IU and Vitamin C which is about 78 mg.

The calories and the high content of sodium and potassium are not healthy and this should be eaten in moderation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does sweet and sour chicken Hong Kong Style mean?

Hong Kong-style sweet and sour chicken simply means the chicken is cut into bite sizes, coated with cornflour batter, and then deep-fried until the chicken is crispy before being toast with the sauce.

What do you serve with sweet and sour chicken?

Being a sauce, it can be served with boiled rice, boiled potatoes, or pasta such as macaroni or spaghetti.