Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken

Name: Sweet and Sour Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 0.67 lb /300g boneless skinless chicken breasts, (cut into 1” chunks ); 1 tablespoon rice wine (Shaoxing wine or dry sherry); 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1/4 teaspoon white pepper; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon canola oil; 1/2 green pepper, (cut into 1” chunks); 1/2 red pepper, (cut into 1” chunks); 1/2 yellow pepper, (cut into 1” chunks); 1/4 onion, (cut into 1” chunks); 2 cloves garlic, (chopped); 6 tablespoons Tapioca starch or cornstarch, (for dipping); 3 tablespoons ketchup; 2 tablespoons sugar; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1/2 cup /100g water

December 16, 2021 · Anna Lee · 10 Comments

RECIPE ▼ VIDEO ▼

No fried Chinese sweet and sour chicken is prepared in one pot and in less than 20 minutes. The chicken gets crispy without being fried. The secret is to dip both sides in tapioca starch or cornstarch before frying. You won’t believe how quick this recipe is. And most importantly, it’s low in calories and super healthy.

No fried, healthy version of sweet and sour chicken, is easy and convenient to prepare, healthy and low in calories, and can be eaten within 15 minutes. — sweet and sour chicken

Sweet and sour chicken recipe

Why this recipe can be ready in less than 20 minutes? Because it doesn’t need to be fried and all the steps can be done in one pot. You just need to prepare the chicken, fry it in the pan, add garlic and onions, and then add the sauce and vegetables. This quick and easy one-pot Chinese sweet and sour chicken is ready to serve.
Sometimes when I was busy, I’ll cook an extra portion of chicken, freeze it, and fry it with vegetables and sweet and sour sauce when you want to eat it the next day.
You can eat it in less than 10 minutes. You just need to heat the pan, put some oil, fry the chicken until crispy, and then add the vegetables and sweet and sour sauce.

It’s not recommended to reheat the whole dish the next day, because the cooked vegetables shouldn’t be eaten the next day. On the one hand, it’s no nutritional value, and on the other hand, chemical changes, occur which aren’t good for the body.

Ingredients

Garlic – chopped, minced or sliced whichever you like.
Onion -cut into 1” chunks.
Green, red and yellow bell peppers -cut them into 1” chunks.

Green onions, zucchini, carrots, and cucumbers are good substitutes for this dish.

Sweet and sour chicken sauce

Sweet and sour chicken sauce ingredients together consist of ketchup, sugar, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, and water. The perfect ratio – sugar : apple cider vinegar : Ketchup 2 : 2 : 3 tablespoons.

I didn’t add more cornstarch, because it’s in the chicken marinade, and the sauce thickens on its own as it cooks. If you want a thicker sauce, you can add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water.

How to make

Tap the chicken lightly against the grain direction with the back of the knife.
PRO TIP: This mainly destroys the fibers and makes the meat more tender.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks. Season with salt, pepper, cornstarch, and rice wine and mix well.
Add 4 tablespoons of tapioca starch or cornstarch and mix everything together.

Put 2 tablespoons of tapioca starch or cornstarch on the plate. Dip the chicken in tapioca starch or cornstarch again on both sides and separate them one by one, don't connect them, but let them get wet for pan fry.
PRO TIP: After dipping the tapioca starch or cornstarch, you should let it rest for 5 minutes before frying. This way, the tapioca starch will stick to the meat better and it'll be crispier and not come off during frying.
For the sauce, whisk together sugar, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, and water in a small bowl. Set aside. Don't add the ketchup to the bowl.
PRO TIP: The perfect ratio for sweet and sour sauce – sugar : apple cider vinegar : Ketchup 2 : 2 : 3 tablespoons.
Prepare the vegetables – wash and cut the vegetables into 1" cubes. Set aside.

In a large wok or skillet, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium heat. Add the chicken in a single layer, don't flip, but wait 3~4 minutes before flipping the other side. Fry it until it's golden brown and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
PRO TIP: When the chicken is placed in the pan, dip it in the oil in the pan to make it crispier.
Add the garlic and fry it for 1 minute, then add the onion, and fry it for 1 minute.
Add the tomato sauce, and stir fry for 1 minute, then add the sweet and sour sauce.
PRO TIP: Pour the tomato sauce and fry together first, to give the chicken color and make the color of your sweet and sour chicken extra attractive.

When the sweet and sour sauce boils, add the vegetables and fry them together with the chicken until the sauce is a little dry, about 2 to 3 minutes.
You can eat healthy sweet and sour chicken.