Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls Recipe
Crispy fried sweet and sour chicken balls were my "gateway" to Chinese takeaway food. This recipe is a simple ode to those memories, and surprisingly, this is probably quicker to make than your delivery driver can get to you!
Servings 2 Servings
Calories 900kcal
Ingredients
- 300 g Chicken Breast 12oz
For the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- 3 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
- 3 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
- 4 tablespoon Pineapple Juice (juice from the pineapple tin is fine)
- 1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
- 2 tablespoon Water
- 1 tablespoon Cornflour (cornstarch in the US)
- 1 Small Onion 75g
- 1 Red Pepper
- 100 g Tinned Pineapple Chunks in Juice ½ Cup
- 1 tablespoon Oil
For the Batter:
- 35 g Plain Flour ¼ Cup + 1 tablespoon of Flour to dredge the chicken
- 30 g Cornflour ¼ Cup (cornstarch in the US)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 100 ml Cold Sparkling Water ⅓ Cup + 1 tablespoon
- Oil (for frying)
Instructions
Preparation:
- Cut the chicken breast into 2cm (¾") cubes. It is important that the chicken is fairly uniform in size.
- Top and tail the onion, then cut it in half lengthways, then peel it. Cut the onion halves into 5mm (¼") strips lengthways.
- Remove the stalk and seeds from the pepper, then cut it into 5mm (¼") thick strips.
- Mix together the brown sugar, sesame oil, pineapple juice, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, and rice wine vinegar in a bowl and set aside.
- If your pineapple chunks are too large, cut them down in size. I usually cut mine into quarters.
Make the Sauce:
- Heat the oil for the sauce in a small (15cm or 6") saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the sauce you prepared and reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir together the cornflour and water for the sauce. Pour the cornflour slurry into the sauce and stir it until it thickens, which will take 1-2 minutes.
- Add the pineapple chunks and stir to combine. Set aside and keep warm whilst you prepare the batter and fry the chicken
NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO BEGIN HEATING THE OIL FOR FRYING THE CHICKEN. Add 3-4cm (1½-1¾") of oil in the base of the wok.
Make the Batter:
- Whisk together the cornflour, 35g of plain flour, baking powder and salt.
- Pour in the cold sparkling water and whisk to form a batter. It is important that the water is both ice cold and sparkling!
Coat and Fry the Chicken:
- Sprinkle the leftover tablespoon of flour into the chicken and toss to coat. I like to add a pinch of salt here.
- Dip the chicken 6-7 pieces at a time into the batter, then carefully drop them into the hot oil. Fry for 4-5 minutes, turning them with a slotted spoon in oil at 170°C or 340°F, then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.Repeat with the remaining chicken. You can keep the chicken balls warm in a low oven if needed.
- Finally, serve with the sauce on the side or poured over the top.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 900kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 47g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 2807mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g
