Have you ever wondered how to make authentic tasting Sweet & Sour Chicken? Wondered how to get it crispy and stay crispy even in the sauce? Authentic Chinese Sweet & Sour dishes, whether it's chicken or pork does not have that bright red (food coloring) sickly sweet sauce. The sauce is much lighter tasting and has a little kick with the fresh ginger. added. The color is a natural looking rich deep reddish brown. This is the kind of dish you’ll find in Chinese restaurants that serve authentic menu items and found in the kitchens of home cooks. The secret to the crispiness is the triple batter method. It takes a little more effort, but it makes a huge difference. Check out my how-to video for the steps and here is the full recipe.
Ingredients
16 to 18 oz boneless/skinless chicken breast
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1 bell pepper (I used half green, half red)
1/2 onion
2 stalks green onion
Batter ingredients
1 cup arrowroot flour
1/4 cup cassava flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup water
Sweet & sour sauce ingredients
2 tbs arrowroot flour
1 inch nub fresh peeled ginger finely grated
3 tbs sugar (I used combination of maple sugar and xylitol)
1/4 cup soy sauce (or coconut
aminos)
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tbs Chinese Shaoxing wine (or sweet vermouth)
1/4 cup water
1 tbs sesame oil
Directions
Cut up chicken into 1 1/2 inch chunks. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder; set aside. Cut up bell pepper and onion into 1 1/2 in squares. Cut green onions into 2-inch length. Set aside.
Make the sauce by combining all ingredients and mixing well in a non-reactive bowl; set aside.
To Batter and fry the chicken
Put 1/3 of arrowroot into a plate, 1/3 into a bowl and 1/3 into another plate. Add the cassava flour plus the water into the bowl (wet batter). Season all three with salt & pepper. Doing a few pieces at a time, dredge the chicken into the first plate, then into the wet batter and then dredge in the 3rd plate. Place on rack and finish the remaining. Let sit for 10 minutes. Heat about 1 1/2 to 2 cups oil in a large pot. A wok works well for this but can use a Dutch oven. When oil is very hot, gently drop in a few pieces to fry, turning several times until golden brown and very crispy. Remove with slotted spoon back to the rack and finish frying the remainder. At this point it is basically chicken nuggets and can be stored in the fridge or freezer for future use by either re-frying or heated up in the oven on a sheet pan at 450 degrees.
Final assembly
Pour off all the oil except 2 tbs. When pot is hot, add in all of the vegetables and sauté for a couple of minutes. Stir well the pre-made sauce and pour into the pot. Stir around until the sauce is thickened, turn off the heat and add in the fried chicken pieces. Toss chicken in sauce for about 20 seconds until coated. Remove to a plate immediately. Serve right away. Great with rice or cauliflower rice.
