Sweet and Sour Chicken.

I always used to love Chinese food, especially Hong Kong style sweet and sour chicken, but for years I just assumed I could no longer eat it after being diagnosed with Crohn’s. This was mainly because of the sauce which frequently contains pineapple juice or apple juice- neither of which my stomach can tolerate. So, imagine my delight when last year I discovered that I could make this beloved dish without either of these! It turns out that with a clever concoction of store cupboard staples and existing condiments, you can replicate that beautifully tangy and silky sweet sauce.

 

Time:

Preparation- 20-25 minutes

Cooking- 15-20 minutes

Total= 35-45 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

For the chicken-

1 x large chicken breast

1 x tablespoon light soy sauce (or a gluten-free alternative)

1 x egg white

1 x tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine

1-2 x tablespoons cooking oil

Plain flour for coating (or a gluten-free alternative)

For the sauce-

1/3 of a large red bell pepper

1/2 of a medium yellow onion

1/4 cup caster sugar

1/8 cup white wine vinegar

1 x medium garlic clove

1 x tablespoon light soy sauce (or gluten-free alternative)

1/8 cup tomato ketchup

1 x tablespoon cornflour

2 x tablespoons water

For serving-

A few spring onion tips

White rice (about 2 large handfuls)

Prawn crackers (optional)

 

Instructions:

1. Dice the chicken breast into chunks (about 2-3 cm) and place into a large bowl.
2. Add the soy sauce, the egg white and the rice wine vinegar and mix lightly until combined. Set aside.
3. Slice the red pepper and the onion into strips for the sauce and chop the spring onion tips for garnish. Set aside.
4. Rinse the rice in a sieve for a couple of minutes in cold water to remove the starch. Place in large saucepan and boil the kettle.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the caster sugar, the vinegar, the soy sauce and the ketchup. Crush the garlic clove and add this also. Mix well and set aside.
6. Gradually add plain flour into the marinating chicken bowl. There should be just enough to coat each piece of chicken. Use your hands to thoroughly cover the chicken in flour and place each piece on a large plate, shaking off any excess flour as you go.
7. In a final small bowl, mix the cornflour and water. Set aside.
8. Use the boiled kettle water to put the rice on. I usually use basmati which takes around 10-11 minutes to cook on a light simmer but follow packet instructions depending on the type of rice you choose.
9. Heat the cooking oil in a very large frying pan (I usually use extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil). Fry the chicken pieces for about 5 minutes each side until golden and crispy. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to cook the chicken in two batches, so just place the cooked pieces on a clean large plate with kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil in the meantime. Don’t worry about the chicken going cold, it will be added back into the pan in a few minutes.
10. While the chicken is cooking, heat another frying pan on the stove with a small amount of oil. Add the peppers and onions and fry until just soft- about 2-3 minutes.
11. Add the pre-made sauce to the vegetable pan and stir gently. Simmer for a couple of minutes.
12. Gradually stir the cornflour/ water mix into the sauce. Do this in stages as you may not need the whole amount, just keep an eye on the thickness of the sauce- it should be silky enough to coat the veggies. You can always add some water if it gets too thick.
13. Gradually add the cooked chicken pieces into the veggies/ sauce pan and gently mix until the chicken is well-coated and glossy. Again, do this in stages as you may find that there is a little too much chicken for the sauce quantity. If you like your sweet and sour extra saucy or you want a lush dipping sauce for spring rolls or prawn crackers, you could always double the sauce mixture.
14. Drain the rice and serve with your beautiful sweet and sour chicken! Top with the chopped fresh spring onion tops for garnish.

 

Recipe adaption: To make this recipe much quicker (and probably healthier!) you could always skip the whole process of marinating and coating the chicken and stir fry the chicken pieces instead before adding them to the sauce. This would make a simple and lighter sweet and sour dish instead of the Hong Kong style version. It will certainly save you some time and washing up, and it’s equally delicious!