Sweet and Sour Chicken
This favourite Filipino dish has the right balance of sweetness and tanginess that coats every single crispy chicken morsel perfectly. A must-try recipe!
Ingredients
For the sweet and sour sauce: (Mixture A)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar firmly packed
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup pineapple juice from the canned pineapple chunks* or water
- ¼ cup vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- A pinch of ground black pepper
For the chicken: (Mixture B)
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch cubes/squares
- 1 large egg beaten
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Chicken breading mix: (Mixture C)
- 1 cup cornstarch
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For sautéing:
- 1 red or green bell pepper cut into 1 inch squares
- 1 medium onion cut into 1 inch squares
- 1 carrot sliced into 1 cm disks
- 1 cup canned pineapple chunks drained and liquid reserved for the sauce*
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1 ½ tablespoons water to thicken sauce
- Canola oil for frying
Here's How:
- Mix all the ingredients for Mixture A in a medium bowl and set aside. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
- In a large bowl, add all the ingredients in Mixture B. Mix well and set aside.
- Combine all the ingredients for the breading mix (Mixture C) and blend well. You can either use a big bowl, a clean paper bag or a large ziploc bag.
- Heat a large frying pan and add oil, about 1 to 1 ½ inches deep. Transfer the chicken pieces to the breading mix and coat each piece completely. Shake off excess flour and transfer to a large tray (like a cookie sheet). Fry the chicken pieces (in batches) until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Make sure the meat doesn’t touch each other to maintain the oil temperature and not make the chicken oily after frying. Place fried chicken pieces on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet or a colander to let the excess oil drip.
- Heat another large pan or a wok (medium heat) and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the carrots, onion, bell peppers and stir fry for a minute. Next add the pineapple chunks, sweet and sour sauce (Mixture A) and the cornstarch mixture to thicken sauce. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Add the fried chicken pieces and toss for a minute or two, using 2 wooden spoons until all the meat is evenly coated with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
*Double the amount of sauce if you want a saucier dish
**Pineapple chunks are preferred but I only had tidbits at home. Fresh pineapple cut in chunks can also be used.
***Fry the chicken in batches and do not crowd the pan to have crispy chicken pieces. Drain the excess oil by placing it on a pan with a cooling rack on top.
****Remove cooked bits of batter accumulating in the oil (using a shallow strainer) in between frying.
*****Add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter sauce.