Crispy Chicken in Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients

• 500 g Chicken breast (cut horizontally into thinner fillets)
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce for the marinade
• 1 tsp White pepper (about 1 tsp)
• 2 tbsp All-purpose flour for coating
• Oil for deep-frying (an amount suitable for deep-frying)
• 100 ml Milk
• 130 ml Sparkling water
• 130 g All-purpose flour for the batter
• 30 g Cornstarch or potato starch for the batter (choose either cornstarch or potato starch)
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1 tbsp Oil for the batter
• 0.5 tsp Salt
• 4 tbsp Ketchup
• 4 tbsp Sugar
• 3 tbsp Rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar (choose either rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce for the sauce
• 125 ml Pineapple juice or water (reserve 2 tbsp of the cold liquid to mix with the starch)
• 1 tsp Cornstarch or potato starch for the sauce (mixed with the reserved 2 tbsp of cold liquid)
• 1 Onion (diced)
• 2 Garlic (chopped)
• Leek (a piece, cut into half-moons)
• 1 Bell pepper (diced)
• Oil for frying the vegetables (a little)
• Rice for serving (amount as needed; not specified in the source)

Steps

1. 1

   Cut the chicken breasts horizontally into thinner fillets. Season with white pepper, mix with the soy sauce, and set aside for about 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Dice the onion and bell pepper, cut the leek into half-moons, and finely chop the garlic.

3. 3

   Heat a little oil in a frying pan. Sauté the onion, then add the bell pepper and leek. Fry for a few minutes, adding the garlic toward the end.

4. 4

   Mix the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and pineapple juice or water. Pour off and reserve 2 tbsp of the cold liquid to mix with the starch.

5. 5

   Pour the prepared mixture into the sautéed vegetables and bring to a boil.

6. 6

   Mix the starch with the reserved 2 tbsp of cold liquid. Add it to the sauce, stir, and heat until the sauce thickens.

7. 7

   In a bowl, mix all the batter ingredients until smooth.

8. 8

   Coat the marinated fillets thoroughly in the all-purpose flour, then dip them in the batter and allow the excess batter to drip off.

9. 9

   Heat the oil to about 170–175°C. Fry the chicken in batches until the batter is golden and the meat is cooked through. The thickest part of the meat should reach 75°C.

10. 10

    Transfer the fried pieces to a wire rack. The source also recommends briefly draining excess oil on a paper towel before transferring the chicken to the rack.

11. 11

    Cut the chicken into strips. Serve with rice and the vegetable sauce.

12. 12

    Serve the sauce alongside the chicken or pour it over the meat just before eating to preserve the crispness of the batter.

Notes

The source does not specify the amount of rice or the exact frying time; the time depends on the thickness of the fillets. It is best to serve the sauce separately or add it immediately before eating, as contact with the sauce softens the crispy batter.

Nutrition per serving

• main course
• Chinese cuisine
• chicken
• sweet and sour
• crispy
• fried
• with vegetables
• for lunch