I love making and eating international dishes such as these! So many people think that it’s hard to make, when really, if you think about it, it’s just another country’s comfort food just like ours only with different ingredients! Their chicken pieces just have a different coating than our fried chicken! And it’s served with a sweet sauce instead of gravy. And, instead of mashed potatoes and a side veggie, they enjoy rice with the veggies all mixed in. Right?! 😀 

Easy peasy! Comfort foods aren’t hard to make. And they’re most often made using simple ingredients. 😉 

I think another reason that people are afraid to try Chinese food at home, is that, everyone thinks that you must have a wok and it’s a fast and furious process that they are scared to try thinking that they can’t possibly handle it or keep up. 

Ok. A wok is the ideal pan to use. But guess what. I don’t even have one anymore, and as you can see, you can obviously make almost everything without. I made the refried rice in my regular frying pan, and had some of the ingredients pre-prepared to slow things down a bit so that it wasn’t such a fast-paced, crazy-scary process. This worked extremely well for me! I like to take my time a bit, and not fret. Cooking should be fun! 😀 

I made my chicken in a deep frying pan, and the sauce in a small saucepan. All of the pots and pans you already have. 😉 

So this post is all about the chicken and the sweet ‘n sour sauce. (The rice will be in it’s own post next so that it will be easier to find and less lengthy.)  

The main thing for this is, after cutting up the chicken and whipping up the easy batter, to make sure that you get all of your ducks lined up in a row. 😉 

Get your assembly line going, starting with your chicken and batter, then your pan of oil, your baking rack placed over a baking sheet (I lined the baking sheet with some paper towel), a strainer or tongs to lift out the pieces, a hot pad for safety, and 911 on speed dial. (Just kidding!)

It’s just like frying chicken nuggets. 😉 Not hard at all. 😀 

I didn’t even use a thermometer to check the heat. Just drop a little batter or a very small odd piece into the oil carefully to test. If it stays on the bottom, it’s not hot enough. If it rises to the top after a few seconds, it’s ready. Do one piece to test. It should take 10-11 minutes for them to be golden browned. 😉 

Almost done! The last batch is frying away! 😀 

Don’t you love it when food takes on a character all on it’s own?! This piece cracked me up! I had to get a shot! 😀 

The chicken pieces fried up beautifully and had such a gorgeous golden sunset color! And the chicken was perfectly done inside. Not over-cooked and dry, and very moist and juicy! 😀 

I used two HUGE chicken breasts from Walmart’s Value Pack, you know the size if you buy the same. You may need 3 breasts otherwise, to use up all of the batter. But this is what you get from just two of the large ones…..plus a couple more that magically “disappeared”… 😉 The perks for those who do the work, I say! 😉 

The sauce came together quickly and easily, too. I added several different flavors of fruit to make it more interesting, and lots of food coloring for a pretty hot pink-fuchsia color that would be really fun for a Valentine’s Day dinner or appetizer! 😉 😀 

The chicken pieces were lightly crispy the first night, then when the leftovers were rewarmed in the microwave, they softened, but were equally as good! 😀   If you want to keep a slight crunch, I suggest rewarming them on a rack, as above, placed over a baking sheet and popped into a 350º oven until warmed through. This shouldn’t take long. I’d check after about 10-15 minutes. 😉 

The whole house smelled like a Chinese restaurant! In a good way! 😉  And it was so much fun to make! 😀 Comfort food Chinese-style! 😉 

So don’t wait a minute longer! Chinese cuisine is easy to make, and so much fun to boot, that you should give it a try as soon as possible! And this is a perfect one to start with. Simple pantry ingredients, inexpensive, and something that entire family will enjoy! 😀

Until next time, Kelly 

Yield: 4 servings

Homemade Battered Sweet 'n Sour Chicken | Just Like Chinese Take-Out!

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Ingredients

• 2 extra large ( or 3 regular) boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all fat, cut into 1 inch pieces
• Lots of oil for frying

For Batter:

• 1 1/8 cup flour
• 1 Tbl. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. white pepper
• 1/16 tsp. garlic powder (or just a dash)
• 1/16 tsp. onion powder (or just a dash)
• 1/2 of a beaten extra large egg, (just eyeball it and save the rest for my Pork Fried Rice or other use)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 Tbl. vegetable oil

For Sweet 'n Sour Dipping Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice, *I just use the 4 oz. from a 6 oz. can and save or drink the rest 😉
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 8 drops red food coloring
• 1 tsp. pomegranate Grenadine
• 1 tsp. maraschino cherry juice from the jar
• dash of salt (less than a 1/16 of a tsp.)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water

Instructions

Trim and cut up chicken, set aside.

In large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients for batter to mix. In medium bowl, beat egg well. *Pour out half of beaten egg into a micro dish and save to add to your fried rice or another use. Beat in water and oil. Pour wet ingredients over dry, and stir to mix well. Stir in cut up chicken.

In large deep frying pan, add oil to 1 1/2 - 2" deep, heat until hot enough to fry. (365-375º). *Oil is ready when a coated piece of chicken is dropped into the oil and rises to the top within 5 seconds. (Loosen from bottom of pan with a clean spoon if needed.)

Using two spoons, add well-coated pieces of chicken to hot oil and fry until done, about 10 - 12 minutes. I do this in several batches. Do not over-crowd pan. Turn to brown evenly, lightly stirring with a clean spoon. Using a strainer to remove, place cooked pieces onto a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet. Serve hot with Sweet 'n Sour Dipping Sauce.

To Make Sauce:

In small saucepan, add all ingredients except the 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Bring mixture to a full boil, stirring as needed to dissolve sugar.

In small bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water until well mixed. Stir into sauce. Cook and stir for 30 seconds. Turn off heat and remove to cool down a little. Serve with or over cooked, battered chicken pieces.

Notes

*Dipping sauce will be very thick the next day. To reheat and bring back to a sauce, add the rest of the pineapple juice from the 6 oz. can, or just add water, and whisk briskly over median heat until the mixture returns to a sauce and is heated through.