Description
A homemade, better than takeaway version of the British Chinese takeaway classic Sweet and Sour Chicken – without any deep frying (and the option to use your air fryer to cut out the shallow frying, too!)
Ingredients
For the Sweet & Sour Chicken
- 4 skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp light oil, plus extra for shallow frying
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 85g (3 oz) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 brown onion
- 1 small red pepper
- 1 small yellow pepper
- 150g (5 oz) fresh pineapple, cubed
- 1 large spring onion, chopped (optional, for garnish)
For the Sweet & Sour Sauce
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 1/2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
Instructions
- Cube the chicken into bite sized pieces and in a large bowl combine it with 1 tbsp oil and the sea salt. Set aside.
- Peel and roughly chop the onion. Deseed the peppers, before chopping them also into bite sized chunks. Make the sweet and sour sauce by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl, and set aside.
- Heat a large frying pan or wok over a high heat, in it just enough oil to just cover the base. While the pan is heating up, stir the beaten egg into the chicken, followed by the cornflour, in two batches, until the flour coats the chicken.
- Once the oil is shimmering, fry the chicken pieces, in batches, for a few minutes on each side until golden, setting the cooked pieces aside to drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Add the pieces to the plan clockwise, so you always know which pieces have been in the pan longer than others.
- Carefully drain any remaining oil from the pan and wipe it clean with kitchen paper, or simply switch pans. Return the pan to the heat and add the peppers and the onions, cooking for a minute or two until they’re only just starting to soften.
- Add the sweet and sour sauce, and cook for another minute or so until it is starting to bubble and get sticky. Return the chicken to the pan, and stir until the sauce clings to the chicken, and it is heated through.
- Serve immediately, with sliced spring onions if liked, over a fluffy bowl of jasmine rice.
Notes
Air Fryer Method
To cut out the need to shallow fry, spritz or brush the basket of your air fryer with olive oil (don’t use non-stick cooking sprays, some brands of these can damage the non-stick coating in some brands of air fryer) and, working in batches, place the coated chicken pieces in a single layer and cook them for 10 minutes at 200C. In my 3.2 litre/5½ pint basket air fryer I do this in 3 batches. Then, simply proceed with the recipe cooking the veggies in a clean plan with just a tiny splash of oil.
Keywords: sweet and sour, sweet and sour chicken, chicken, chinese chicken, chinese food, takeaway, takeout