Sweet and Sour Chicken

Name: Sweet and Sour Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts; Kosher salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup cornstarch; Peanut or canola oil for frying; 4 large eggs; ½ cup apple cider vinegar; 4 tablespoons ketchup; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; ¾ cup granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Chicken Chinese New Year Asian Ketchup Chicken Breast Dinner Food and Dating Americanized Chinese Main Dish

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6 servings

Total: 1 hr 20 mins Active: 20 mins

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Ingredients (11)

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cornstarch
Peanut or canola oil for frying
4 large eggs
½ cup apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder

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Nutritional Information

Calories507
Fat17.22g
Saturated fat5.08g
Trans fat0.17g
Carbs49.01g
Fiber0.5g
Sugar27.59g
Protein36.27g
Cholesterol220.77mg
Sodium395.5mg
Nutritional Analysis per serving (6 servings) Powered by

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Consider this a healthier alternative to sweet and sour pork, made with skinless, boneless chicken breasts quickly deep-fried for flavor and texture before being finished off in the oven with a spunky sauce of apple cider vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce. Steamed white or brown rice is an essential accompaniment.

For extra dipping sauce, learn How to Make Sweet and Sour Sauce with our easy recipe.

For more, check out our Easy Thai Grilled Chicken Breasts, Easy Teriyaki Chicken, and Asian Marinated Backed Chicken.

by Coreen Carroll

Tips for Chicken

Tip

How to Store Chicken

Raw or cooked chicken can be stored in a refrigerator for a few days, though it’s important to prevent raw chicken juices from leaking and contaminating other foods. Ensure that chicken remains in its original packaging (which should be vacuum-sealed or tightly-wrapped) until it is ready to be cooked.

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Next: How to Freeze Chicken

Tip

How to Freeze Chicken

While freezing will make your chicken less tender and juicy, it is the perfect way to store the family-sized pack you bought at Costco last weekend. Remove the chicken from its original packaging and rewrap it tightly using aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or freezer paper. Double wrap if you are planning to store the chicken for more than two months. Ground chicken can last up to three months in the freezer, while chicken pieces can last up to nine.

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Next: How to Thaw Chicken

Tip

How to Thaw Chicken

You should never thaw chicken at room temperature, as it is highly susceptible to bacteria growth. Frozen chicken should either be thawed in the microwave, in the refrigerator, or in cold water (which should be changed every 30 minutes).

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Next: How to Store Chicken

Instructions

1Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Line a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with a couple of layers of paper towels and set aside.
2Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces and, in a large mixing bowl, toss the pieces with salt and several grinds of black pepper. Add the cornstarch and toss the pieces so they’re evenly coated. Set aside.
3Add enough oil to a large, high-sided saucepan or Dutch oven to come up 2 inches from the bottom. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring the oil to 350°F, using a deep-fry thermometer to monitor the temperature, adjusting the heat as necessary.
4Break the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk so the whites and yolks are just combined. Dump about 1/4 of the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces into the beaten egg and mix so they’re evenly coated. Carefully drop the pieces into the hot oil. Cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes—you don’t want to the chicken to cook all the way through, just firm up and develop color. Transfer the semi-cooked pieces to the lined baking dish to drain. Continue dipping and frying the remaining chicken.
5Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic powder. Set aside.
6Once all the chicken is fried, remove the paper towels from the baking dish, leaving the chicken in place. Pour over the sweet and sour sauce and toss to coat. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring the chicken every 20 minutes to re-coat with the sauce. Serve with steamed rice.

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Recommended from Chowhound

Sweet And Sour Sauce

(01:01)

Video from Recipes

This comes together in about the time it takes to order takeout, and is miles more nuanced than your average Chinese restaurant's sweet and sour sauce. Ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, and rice or cider vinegar are boiled together with water (though pineapple juice makes for a tasty tropical twist), and thickened to the perfect dipping consistency with a little cornstarch slurry. Serve this with egg rolls, wontons, rangoons, and whatever other fried foods you want to perk up. Feel free to add some heat to the sauce with minced ginger, garlic, or chiles (or all three). Read more.