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Chinese Chicken in Sweet and Sour Sauce 🥢
Overview:
Prepare to embark on a culinary journey with this delightful Chinese Chicken in Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe! Perfectly balanced flavors mingle together to create a dish that’s both savory and tangy, guaranteed to satisfy your cravings for Asian cuisine. Whether you’re cooking for a weeknight dinner or entertaining guests, this recipe promises to impress with its aromatic blend of ingredients and succulent chicken strips coated in a luscious sweet and sour sauce.
Ingredients:
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 carrots
- 1 green pepper
- 3/4 cup flour
- 2 – 3 cloves garlic
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 4 chicken breast fillets
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup vinegar
- 1 can (14 oz) tomatoes
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions:
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Prepare the Vegetables:
- Start by cooking the celery, carrots, and green pepper in a small amount of water in a saucepan over medium heat until they’re tender-crisp. Once cooked, drain the vegetables and set them aside for later use.
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Create the Batter:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, minced garlic, egg, ginger, salt, and pepper. Mix these ingredients together until you achieve a smooth batter-like consistency.
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Prepare the Chicken:
- Take the chicken breast fillets and gently pound them with a meat mallet to tenderize them. Then, cut the chicken into strips.
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Coat the Chicken Strips:
- Dip each chicken strip into the prepared batter, ensuring they’re evenly coated on all sides.
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Fry the Chicken:
- Heat some vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken strips and fry them until they’re lightly browned on the outside. Once fried, remove the chicken from the skillet and drain them on paper towels to remove excess oil.
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Prepare the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, bring 1-1/2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the brown sugar and allow it to dissolve completely, cooking for about 1 minute.
- Next, add the vinegar and canned tomatoes to the pot, stirring well. Allow the mixture to come to a boil again.
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Thicken the Sauce:
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with the remaining 1 cup of water until it forms a smooth slurry. Gradually pour this mixture into the pot, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
- Continue cooking the sauce for about 3 minutes, or until it thickens to your desired consistency.
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Combine and Serve:
- Once the sauce has thickened, add the fried chicken strips and cooked vegetables to the pot. Stir everything together until the chicken and vegetables are well coated in the sweet and sour sauce.
- Allow the dish to heat through, ensuring all components are piping hot.
- Serve the Chinese Chicken in Sweet and Sour Sauce over cooked rice for a complete and satisfying meal that’s bursting with flavor!
Nutritional Information (per serving):
- Calories: 609.2
- Total Fat: 37.6g
- Saturated Fat: 5.1g
- Cholesterol: 35.2mg
- Sodium: 110.5mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 64.8g
- Dietary Fiber: 2.8g
- Sugars: 39.4g
- Protein: 40g
Cooking Time:
- Preparation: 30 minutes
- Cooking: 25 minutes
- Total: 55 minutes
Recipe Notes:
- For added depth of flavor, you can marinate the chicken strips in a mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and ginger for 30 minutes before coating them in the batter.
- Feel free to customize the vegetables used in this recipe according to your preferences. Bell peppers, onions, and pineapple chunks make excellent additions!
- Adjust the sweetness and tanginess of the sauce by tweaking the amount of brown sugar and vinegar to suit your taste buds.
- This dish pairs wonderfully with steamed jasmine rice or noodles for a complete meal experience. Enjoy the vibrant flavors of this Chinese-inspired delight with your loved ones!