Crispy sweet and sour chicken at home — without the coating falling off or turning soggy in the sauce.

The key is not just the sauce. This recipe uses three fixes: press and lightly dampen the starch coating, fry the chicken twice, and toss it off the heat so the sauce coats the crust instead of soaking into it.

Ingredients

Chicken:
About 300 g / 10.6 oz chicken breast or boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces

Chicken seasoning:
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or Shaoxing wine
Optional: a tiny pinch of MSG or chicken bouillon powder

Coating:
Cornstarch slurry, enough to lightly coat the chicken
A little beaten egg
Dry cornstarch, as needed
A little water to lightly dampen the surface before frying

Vegetables:
Bell pepper pieces
Onion pieces
Canned pineapple chunks
1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice for the sauce

Sweet and sour sauce:
4 tbsp ketchup
4 tbsp sugar or rock sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp white vinegar
Cornstarch slurry: about 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water, added a little at a time

For frying:
Neutral oil, enough for frying

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
2. Season with salt, sugar, white pepper, rice wine, and optional MSG or chicken bouillon powder. Mix until the chicken feels tacky.
3. Build the coating: add a thin layer of cornstarch slurry, then a little beaten egg, then dry cornstarch. Press the starch firmly onto the chicken.
4. Fix 1: press the coating tight, then lightly dampen the surface with a thin film of water. This helps the starch lock onto the chicken and reduces coating loss in the oil.
5. First fry: heat the oil to 300–325°F / 150–160°C. Add the chicken pieces one by one. Do not move them too early. Once the coating is set, gently separate the pieces and fry until they float and turn pale gold. Remove and set aside.
6. Drain the canned pineapple. Save the juice for the sauce and keep the chunks for the wok.
7. Stir-fry the pineapple first to cook off some water and pick up a little color. Add the bell pepper and onion, cook until glossy and bright, then remove and set aside.
8. Make the sauce: combine ketchup, sugar, salt, soy sauce, reserved pineapple juice, and water. Bring to a gentle simmer and let the sugar fully dissolve. Add the vinegar after simmering to keep the acidity bright. Add cornstarch slurry a little at a time until the sauce turns glossy and runs off the spoon in a slow ribbon.
9. Fix 2: second fry right before saucing. Heat the oil to about 400°F / 205°C. Fry the chicken again for about 10–20 seconds, until deeper golden, hot, firm, and dry.
10. Fix 3: toss off the heat. Add the vegetables and freshly fried chicken into a dry wok with the burner off. Add the sauce a little at a time and toss quickly. Stop when every piece is glossy and there is no puddle in the pan.
11. Remember: heat off, toss fast. Coat it — don’t soak it.

Chapters:
0:00 Sweet and sour chicken that stays crispy
0:27 Cut and season the chicken
0:56 Build the starch coating
1:31 Fix 1: Press and lightly dampen
2:21 First fry
2:54 Pineapple and vegetables
3:39 Sweet and sour sauce
4:37 Fix 2: Second fry
5:03 Fix 3: Toss off the heat
5:37 Mistake: simmering chicken in sauce
5:51 Quick recap

#sweetandsourchicken #chinesecooking #chickenrecipe