Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

Today we are going to make Sweet and Sour Chicken! In Chinese, we call it Gu Lu Ji. When you make the Gu Lu series of dishes, You can make it with any protein that you like, pork, chicken, shrimp, or tofu.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

Serve 2
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

For the chicken:
1 ½ pounds chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of white pepper
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch slurry (1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch and 1 ½ tablespoons water)
1 large egg
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water chestnut flour
1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 cups canola oil, for frying

For the sauce:
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch
slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoons water)

For the vegetables:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 small onion, cubed
1/2 green bell pepper, cubed
1/2 red bell pepper, cubed
1/2 cup pineapple, cubed

Instructions

To prepare:

Tenderize both sides of the chicken breast with the back of your knife.

Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch pieces. Place the chicken in a large bowl.

Marinate the chicken with salt, white pepper, cornstarch slurry, and egg. Mix well. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, mix in the salt, rice vinegar, ketchup, sugar, and chicken stock. Whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl, transfer in the cornstarch, water chestnut flour, and glutinous rice flour, and baking soda (All of these ingredients are going to make the chicken super crispy.) Mix well.

To deep-fry the chicken:

Dip the chicken into the starch and flour mixture. Transfer to a plate while you do the same with the rest of the chicken.

In a large pot, over high heat, add the canola oil, and heat it to 350°F/177°C. (You can test the oil temperature with a pair of wooden chopsticks: Stick the chopsticks into the oil, and if you see lots of tiny bubbles immediately form around them, then the oil is ready for frying.)

Carefully transfer the chicken into the oil, and fry for 5 minutes until golden. Remove the chicken and place them on a plate.

Skim off any crumbs.

Then heat the oil to 375°F/191°C, and return the chicken and deep fry for 2 minutes until crispy. (Double frying makes the chicken crispier and less oily. When the exterior temperature is hotter than the interior temperature. It forces the oil from the inside to come out. So it’s crispy and not greasy.) Take out the chicken and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

To stir-fry:

In a large pan, over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Add the onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and stir-fry until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Lastly, add in the pineapple and stir-fry for another 10 seconds. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, over medium heat, and add in the sauce. Cook for 1 minute until simmering. Add in the cornstarch slurry. Constantly stir until the sauce is thickened. Return the chicken and vegetables, and stir to coat everything in the sauce. Serve.