Make the takeout classic at homeno deep frying required!
We don’t deep fry for this sweet and sour chicken recipe.
It won’t be a crunchy, deep-fried coating.
Simply Recipes / Jaden Hair
But we think it’s a nice alternative, both texture-wise and weight-wise!
Heat your frying pan until a bead of water will sizzle instantly and evaporate on contact.
If you don’t hear it, let it heat up a little longer.
Simply Recipes / Jaden Hair
Once the pan is hot, then you might add your chicken.
But verify you keep the chicken in a single layer and do not overcrowd the pieces.
If you crowd the chicken bits, they will just steam and not sear in the pan.
Customizing Your Sweet and Sour Sauce
So how sweet and how sour?
The beauty of this dish is that you’re free to adjust at the end.
Have a little taste of the sauce.
Add a spoonful of brown sugar.
Add a teaspoon of vinegar.
But this recipe is versatile enough for whatever else you’d like to toss in.
Here are some ideas:
Ketchup in Sweet and Sour Sauce?
You may be wondering why ketchup is included in the sweet and sour sauce.
Ketchup itself is sweet and sour, which makes it a good addition to the sauce.
It has a certain savory umami flavor that adds depth and color to the sauce.
Stir to coat the chicken evenly.
Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
Whisk together the pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and brown sugar.
Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates.
Pour in 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat.
It’s important that the pan is very hot.
Add the chicken and spread the pieces out in one layer.
Let the chicken fry untouched for 1 minute, until the bottoms are browned.
Flip and fry the other side for 1 minute.
The chicken should still be pinkish in the middle.
Dish out the chicken onto a clean plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of cooking oil.
Let the oil heat up before adding the bell pepper chunks and ginger.
Fry for 1 minute.
Add the pineapple chunks and the sweet and sour sauce.
Turn up the heat to high.
When the sauce is simmering, add the chicken pieces back in.
Let simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Timing depends on how thick you’ve cut your chicken.
If it’s pink, add another minute to the cooking.
Taste the sauce and add more brown sugar or vinegar to suit your tastes, if youd like.
Serve hot with steamed white or brown rice.
