Chinese Style Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

A homemade Chinese-style sweet and sour chicken with crispy golden chicken pieces tossed in a tangy pineapple sauce. Made with a handful of cupboard staples and ready in under 30 minutes — this one is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken fillets
• 1 can of pineapple rings in juice
• 60g of brown sugar
• 80g of ketchup
• 60ml of white wine vinegar
• 40ml of pineapple juice from can
• 2 tablespoons of cornflour
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 small piece of ginger
• 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 1 tablespoon of Chinese 5 spice
• 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds

Steps

1. Dice the chicken fillets into bite-sized pieces and toss in half the cornflour and all of the Chinese five spice until well coated. Heat oil in a large pan or wok over high heat and fry the chicken for 6–8 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden, crispy, and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
2. In the same pan, fry the garlic and ginger for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the chilli flakes, ketchup, brown sugar, white wine vinegar, and pineapple juice, stirring to combine. Mix the remaining cornflour with a splash of cold water to make a slurry, then stir it into the sauce. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until thick and glossy.
3. Add the crispy chicken and pineapple rings (cut into chunks) back into the pan and toss until fully coated in the sauce. Cook for a further 1–2 minutes to heat through, then serve over rice and finish with a scattering of sesame seeds.