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Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style Close Up

Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style

  • Author: caroline
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Description

Make your favourite Chinese takeaway in your own home! This sweet and sour chicken Hong Kong style is just as good as you’ll find in your fave restaurant.

The default recipe serves 4.

Ingredients

Scale

To prepare the chicken

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp shaoxing wine – see note 1
  • 400g / 14oz chicken breast, sliced into bite-sized pieces – see note 2
  • 120g / 1 cup cornflour/cornstarch – see note 3
  • Vegetable oil – enough to half fill a large pan (you can save and reuse the oil for frying in future) – see note 4

For the sauce

  • 125ml / 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 125ml / 1/2 cup pineapple juice
  • 65g / 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch

For the stir fry

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, cut into thick slices
  • 1 red pepper, cut into large pices
  • 1 green pepper, cut into large pieces – see note 5
  • 140g / 5oz drained tinned pineapple, sliced into thick pieces

 

Instructions

  1. Mix together the eggs, mirin and sesame oil in a large bowl and then add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Season well and set aside for 10-20 minutes (see note 6)
  2. While the chicken is marinading make the sweet and sour sauce by mixing together all the sauce ingredients. Make sure you have all the vegetables prepared at this stage for the stir fry so that you can follow the rest of the recipe steps as quickly as possible. 
  3. Add the cornflour/cornstarch into the bowl with the chicken and use your hands to coat evenly and to make sure each piece is separated (see note 7). 
  4. Heat the oil for frying in a large pan or wok. Bring to around 180C/350F. (see note 8 for tips to check if the oil is hot enough)
  5. Add the chicken to the batter and cook for around 6 minutes, until the pieces are a light golden colour and the chicken is cooked all the way through. Remove with a strainer or slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. (see note 9)
  6. Next, make the stirfry. Heat a wok or frying pan/skillet over high heat. Add the onion to the pan and toss or stir to break upa ll the pieces and coat in the oil. Cook for around 1 minute before adding the peppers and pineapple. 
  7. Cook the vegetables for a further 2-3 minutes (you want them to remain crisp) before adding the sweet and sour sauce and heating it until it is bubbling. 
  8. Add the chicken and toss or stir everything together. 
  9. Remove from the heat and serve immediately
  10. Serve with egg fried or steamed rice and with a pinch of toasted sesame seeds sprinkled over. 

Notes

  1. You can substitute the shaoxing wine with mirin or dry or cooking sherry. Or you can omit it completely as it just adds a little extra flavour.
  2. While I tend to use breast meat as it’s lighter, thigh meat can be substituted and gives an even more tender and juicy result.
  3. In a pinch, you could use plain flour, but you won’t get the same crispy result as you will with cornflour/cornstarch so I don’t recommend it.
  4. You can use any oil that has a high smoke point – sunflower oil or canola/rapeseed oil also work well.
  5. Be sure to cook the vegetables to the same size, so they cook at the same time.
  6. Prepare the chicken before you start to make anything else for the dish so you can give it maximum time to marinade which will help it become juicier.
  7. Warning – it will look like a lot of cornflour/cornstarch – but this is essential to make sure that you get super crispy batter.
  8. To make sure that the oil is hot enough you can drop a little of the batter into the oil and if it immediately bubbles and simmers it’s hot enough. You can also dip in some wooden chopsticks or the end of a wooden spoon and if it fizzes then the oil is good to go.
  9. When frying make sure to not fill the oil over halfway in the pan for safety – if you need more then use a bigger pan.
  10. Don’t overcrowd the pan as the more chicken you add the more you will reduce the temperature of the oil. Work in small batches.
  11. This recipe is best when eaten straight away, as the batter on the chicken will soften if you keep it. However, you can keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days and you can freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost before reheating and warm through on the hob/stove or in the microwave.  
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Hob / Stove
  • Cuisine: Chinese

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 750
  • Fat: 45g
  • Carbohydrates: 62g
  • Protein: 28g

Keywords: dinner, chinese, chicken, indulgent, fakeaway, asian

Find it online: https://feed-your-sole.com/sweet-and-sour-chicken-hong-kong-style/