Sweet and Sour Chicken
Try this delicious sweet and sour chicken, made with chicken, peppers, and pineapple chunks, coated in a flavorful sweet and sour sauce.
Try this delicious sweet and sour chicken, made with chicken, peppers, and pineapple chunks, coated in a flavorful sweet and sour sauce.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks drained (juice reserved)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 3/4 cups water divided
- 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 drops orange food color
- 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut int
- 2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
- 2 green bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- Carbohydrate 63.5348860848487 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 75.8866233002925 g
- Fiber 2.25455479083648 g
- Protein 6.5026318375665 g
- Saturated Fat 5.65513654617547 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (295g)
- Sodium 805.419927646288 mg
- Sugar 61.2803312940123 g
- Trans Fat 1.12961713382524 g
- Calories 957 calories
Step-by-step
- 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.
Distilled white vinegar provides the sharp, non-negotiable acid backbone required to balance the high sugar content in traditional sweet-and-sour preparations. Originating in Cantonese cuisine, the pairing of sweet fruit profiles with vinegary reductions migrated outward, adapting to local ingredients while retaining its defining structural contrast between crisp poultry and glossy sauce.
- Maintain deep-frying oil precisely at 360 degrees F using a clip-on thermometer to ensure the batter sets before absorbing excessive fat.
- Whisk the cornstarch and water slurry thoroughly before adding it to the boiling liquid to prevent lumps from forming in the glaze.
- Fry the poultry in small batches for approximately 10 minutes, monitoring for a uniform golden-brown exterior and fully cooked interior.
- Drain the fried pieces on wire racks rather than solid surfaces to preserve bottom crispness by allowing steam to escape downward.
Sugar molecules caramelize and thicken when boiled alongside acetic acid, transforming thin pineapple juice and water into a clinging glaze. Temperature management during the final frying stage prevents the self-rising flour crust from becoming heavy or waterlogged under the warm sauce.
