In January, I had plans of putting together a whole weeks worth of Chinese recipes that I grew up making. The plan was to do this for Chinese New Year, which fell on February 7th. But then Wendy passed away and all my plans went down the toilet, but it couldn't have been helped.
So tonight I decided to make a few things. I'll be adding more as the weeks go on. I love Chinese food so it is going to be MY PLEASURE making these recipes. ;) I will add a word of warning though. You will have a difficult time eating Chinese take-out once you start making your own. I am very particular about my Chinese food because I am so accustomed these delicious recipes.
I'll break up each recipe into separate posts. The instructions will be long and arduous. Enjoy!
SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN
Take chicken breasts. I cut up 2 boneless, skinless breasts and trust me when I say this. It will feed 3-4 people. It makes a lot once you cut it up.
Cut them into chunks and set aside.
In a bowl, make the batter for the chicken.
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 tsp salt
Whisk together to remove all lumps. Dump in your chicken chunks.
In a wok (or deep fryer), heat your oil to 375*. Make sure it's hot otherwise the batter will soak up too much oil.
Place chunks into the hot oil, being careful not to splash yourself. Don't put too many in otherwise they'll all stick together, and it will also cool your oil down too much. Turn the pieces over to cook the other side.
Remove the cooked chicken from the oil and put on paper towels. Once all the chicken is fried up, put in a dish and hold in a 300* oven for 10-15 minutes.
During this time, make the sweet and sour sauce.
In a saucepan, put:
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 Tbsp rice vinegar
6 Tbsp ketchup
4 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cup cold water
red food coloring
Put the saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Stir CONSTANTLY so it doesn't lump up. Once it gets really thick, remove from the heat, add a little red food coloring, and add your garnishes. I personally like some sliced onion, green bell pepper, and pineapple chunks.
Pour over the fried chicken and if you want, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top.
Posts
11 comments:
YUM!!
Can't wait to try these out.
Question: how long do you cook the chicken on each side? I've only ever made this with chicken that was already cooked and I'm so paranoid about making sure chicken is cooked through. How do I know when it's done without over/under cooking it??
thanks Suz!!
Christine
If your oil is heated to 375*, they take about 5 minutes to cook. When the coating is nice and brown, the chicken is usually cooked through.
But for added assurity, just put the chicken in the oven for awhile and if it wasn't cooked all the way through, it should be by then.
Thank you!!
Can you use a candy thermometer to check the oil? or does it have to be a different kind?
Christine
You can use a candy therometer!
This post made me hungry for some Chinese, so I made this last night. The family loved it! It's a great recipe. I altered it by adding mushrooms and serving the chicken separately, cuz I'm a vegetarian and they aren't:) Anyway it was delish!
-Luv, Heidi
I found your blog through 2 Peas and have been waiting for a time to make this recipe. I finally got the chance today and it was a huge hit. My kids thought it was better than the Chinese place.
I made this tonight and it was AMAZING!! The chicken tastes just like the restaurant and the sauce is even better. I completely wowed my friend!!Thanks!!
AWESOME! You were absolutely right (even though I was skeptical!) that it was better than going out to eat! It was perfect! Everyone was impressed at work the next day when I brought in my leftovers...they couldn't believe that anyone could make an entire Chinese meal at home that looked "real".
My entire family gobbled it up! This is going into our regular menu rotation!
Love your blog!
~Tracy~
(from 2Peas)
DH and I have been searching for a good sweet and sour chicken recipe for years. I am glad we have finally found a keeper. My DH asked me if I *really* made the chicken.... That's how good it was! LOL! :)
It was great! Thank you for sharing.
-Jen
Could I use this same batter for chinese chicken fingers with chicken tenders ?
Absolutley yummy! My husband thoroughly enjoyed it and is now on his favorite list. Thank you!
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