Sweet & sour chicken
- John Torode
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Serves 4
Easy
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 45 mins
A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.128 ratingsRate
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Try an authentic version of this classic Chinese takeaway dish, with natural sweetness and a warm chilli flavour to spice things up
Freezable (Sauce can be frozen)
Dairy-free
Egg-free
Nut-free
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Chinese-style wintery rolls
A star rating of 5 out of 5.3 ratings
Test Kitchen tips for making sweet & sour chicken:
- This recipe is easy to adapt with whatever vegetables you have to hand. Baby sweetcorn, mangetout, sliced water chestnuts or broccoli all work well as additions; you can also swap the chicken for prawns or tofu. For any vegetarians, thinly slice some sweet potatoes, then batter and fry these instead of cooking the chicken.
- Always let the sauce bubble for a few minutes until it thickens and coats the chicken evenly. If it becomes a little too thick, simply stir in a splash of water or pineapple juice to loosen it.
- The sauce can be made ahead and frozen, which is handy if you want to get ahead for a dinner party or save time on a busy weeknight. Just reheat gently until bubbling before serving.
- We like to keep the vegetables slightly crisp rather than cooking them until they're very soft. They add plenty of colour, texture and freshness, which balances the rich sweet and sour sauce.
Ingredients
Nutrition
Units:
MetricUS
-
sunflower or vegetable oil
for frying
-
100ml soda water
chilled
-
140g self-raising flour
-
25g cornflour
-
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
cut into chunks
-
spring onions
finely shredded, to serve
For the sauce
-
1 red pepper
deseeded and chopped into chunks
-
3 red chillies
1 cut into chunks, 2 halved and deseeded
-
425g can pineapple
chunks, drained and juice reserved
-
4 star anise
-
50g tamarind
paste
-
100g caster sugar
-
100ml rice wine vinegar
or Chinese vinegar
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Nutrition: per serving
-
kcal654
-
fat20g
-
saturates3g
-
carbs82g
-
sugars50g
-
fibre2g
-
protein38g
high
-
salt0.57g
low
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Method
-
step 1
For the sauce, put the red pepper, chunks of chilli and pineapple juice in a pan and bring to the boil. Cover and cook for 10 mins, then purée in a food processor.
-
step 2
Return to the pan with the pineapple chunks, chilli halves, star anise, tamarind, sugar and vinegar. Gently simmer for 20-30 mins until reduced and sticky. Keep warm, or reheat to serve.
-
step 3
Fill a large pan 1cm deep with oil and heat until shimmering. Whisk the soda water and 100ml cold water into the self-raising flour with a little salt. Stir the batter well.
-
step 4
Tip the cornflour onto a plate, line a tray with kitchen paper and turn on the oven to low. Dust the chicken with cornflour, then dip into the batter.
-
step 5
One at a time, lower into the hot oil (about 5-6 every batch). Turn up the heat to keep the chicken frying, if needed, and cook for 5-6 mins, turning once.
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step 6
When cooked, drain on the tray, and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
-
step 7
Stack onto a plate with the warm sauce on the side, and scatter with shredded spring onions.
John Torode
John is one of the UK's best-known chefs and broadcasters, appearing as co-presenter of MasterChef and co-hosting ITV's John & Lisa's Weekend Kitchen. He has also fronted acclaimed food and travel series including John Torode's Australia, Asia and Middle East. With more than 40 years in the food industry, John has written bestselling cookbooks, is a regular contributor to Good Food, and has cooked live at the Good Food Shows. See more recipes by John
Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2010
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A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.128 ratings
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