Chinese sweet and sour chicken recipe

Our simple and delicious Chinese sweet and sour chicken is the perfect dish for a Saturday night takeaway alternative, mid-week meal or Chinese New Year celebratory dish. It only takes 35 mins to cook and works out at only 386 calories per serving. Serving 4 -5 people, the chicken is coated in a light and crisp batter making the meat extra tender. Learn how to make a homemade sweet and sour sauce with this recipe too can that we served with prawns or beef instead. We pineapple chunks and a dash of chilli makes the sauce sweet with a kick of spice.

Ingredients

For the sauce:

• 425g can pineapple chunks in juice
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
• Dash of chilli sauce
• 6tbsp tomato ketchup
• 4tbsp soft light brown sugar
• 1tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 4tbsp rice wine vinegar

For the chicken:

• Oil, for deep frying
• 100g self-raising flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 level tbsp cornflour
• 100ml soda water, chilled
• 3-4 chicken breasts, skinned and cut into chunks

Method

1. To make the sauce: Tip all the ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the mixture thickens slightly and the red pepper is tender.
2. To prepare the chicken: Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180-190°C.
3. Sift flour, salt and cornflour into a bowl and whisk in the soda water. Dip chicken pieces into the batter and carefully lower into the oil. Cook for 6-8 pieces at a time for about 5-7 mins, turning the pieces once during cooking until they’re a light-golden colour and the batter is crisp.
4. Use a slotted spoon to lift the chicken out of the oil and drain on kitchen paper. Keep the cooked pieces warm while cooking the remaining batches of chicken. Serve with the sweet and sour sauce.