Best 7 Sweet And Sour Chicken Or Pork Recipes

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Steps:

• Set aside ½ cup of pineapple juice from your can of pineapple, and reserve ⅔ cup of the pineapple chunks (if using). Set aside.
• Combine the hot water, salt, sugar, and ketchup. Stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved, and then add the vinegar and pineapple juice (if using). If not using pineapple juice, replace with ½ cup water or chicken stock. Set aside.
• Cut your chicken into uniform 1 inch chunks (for even cooking) and place into a bowl. Add the garlic and onion powders, sesame oil, white pepper and salt. Mix until all pieces are uniformly coated, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Any excess water should be fully absorbed by the chicken. If not, mix the chicken again and let it sit for another 5 minutes.
• Mix together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl, and add 2/3 cup of ice water. Use a fork to mix until a batter is formed, and stir in 1 tablespoon of oil. Set aside.
• The amount of oil you need depends on the size of the pot you will use. Using a larger pot uses more oil, but allows you to cook the chicken in fewer batches. Using a smaller pot uses less oil, but you'll have to fry more batches of chicken. We usually go for a smaller pot, so we have less leftover oil. Heat the oil in a small pot until it reaches 335°F/170°C.
• Place 5 to 6 pieces of marinated chicken into the batter. Use a chopstick, fork, or your fingers to coat the chicken in the batter and place each piece slowly into the oil.
• Use a slotted spoon to carefully turn the chicken so all sides are uniformly fried. Fry for about 2 minutes, or until the batter is a light golden brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and let any excess oil drain off before placing onto a rack or paper towel lined plate.
• Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a wok over medium high heat, and add the red onion and peppers. Stir-fry for 30 seconds.
• Next, add the sweet and sour sauce you prepared earlier and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the sauce is simmering.
• Combine the cornstarch and water to make a uniform slurry. While stirring the sweet and sour sauce, drizzle the slurry in gradually until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon (you may not need all of the slurry). Turn down the heat and give the sauce a quick taste--now is the time to add more salt, vinegar or sugar if desired.
• Add the pineapple chunks (if using) and stir until warmed through. Now is the time to refry the chicken to make them nice and crispy. Heat the oil up to 335°F/170°C and fry the chicken in two batches for about 45 seconds each time. Then add the chicken pieces to your sauce, and gently toss with your wok spatula until the chicken is coated. Serve immediately!

SWEET AND SOUR PORK

Steps:

• Add the marinade ingredients to the pork, and mix everything together until there is no visible liquid. Set aside for 30 minutes.
• Next, make the sauce. Add 1 teaspoon of oil, ginger slices, and star anise to a small saucepan over medium heat, and cook until the ginger starts to caramelize (about 1 minute). Next, add the ketchup. When that starts to sizzle, stir constantly until the ketchup starts to caramelize (about 2 minutes). Take care not to burn the aromatics and ketchup--this step is essential to give the sauce a deeper, more complex flavor.
• Next, add the white vinegar, sugar, and the juice from the canned pineapple. Stir until the mixture starts to simmer, and the sugar is dissolved. Turn to the lowest heat and let the sauce simmer and reduce until the sauce just starts to coat a spoon (about 30 minutes). The sauce needs this time for the flavors to meld. The sauce can be cooled and stored at this time, and you can double or triple the amount and store the sauce away in the refrigerator for future meals.
• Heat 3 cups of oil to 350F in a small pot for frying. Using a small pot and frying in batches leaves you with less leftover oil to deal with. Always let the oil cool completely and use a fine mesh strainer to strain the oil before storing in the refrigerator.
• Mix together the dredging ingredients (flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper) in a shallow dish. Dredge the pork pieces in the flour mixture, dip into the egg, and then dredge with the flour again.
• Fry the pieces in batches for about 2 to 3 minutes, or when they just start to get golden brown. Remove them from the oil and transfer to a sheet pan with a slotted spoon or spider.
• Once you're ready to combine everything, refry the pork in batches to crisp up the coating. That's right, they're going to fry for a second time--this prevents the pork from getting too soggy when added to the sauce.
• To a clean wok, add 1 tablespoon oil, the bell peppers, and onions. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, and add the sauce and the pineapple. Bring the mixture to a simmer to further thicken the sauce. At this time, you will likely need to add some cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce further. Add half first and stir for 15 seconds; then decide if you need more. Remember the sauce will thicken more as it cools in the plate, so add only as much as you need.
• I have to add another note to this recipe that this sauce is very sweet and very pungent! So at this point, you must taste the sauce and add water to it if it is too strong and by that, I mean too sweet or too sour. Once you have it adjusted to your taste and the desired thickness, especially if you added more water, then go ahead to the next step and add the pork.
• Next, add your crispy pork to the sauce, and toss until the pieces are well-coated. Serve immediately!

EASY SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine flour, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish.
• Roll and coat chicken cubes in flour mixture.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
• Cook and stir chicken in hot oil until not longer pink in the center and juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes; remove and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the same skillet over medium heat.
• Cook and stir celery, green peppers, and onion in heated oil until slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
• Return chicken to the skillet.
• Whisk ketchup, lemon juice, pineapple, and brown sugar in a bowl; pour into the skillet; bring to a boil.
• Cook and stir chicken and vegetables in sauce until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN (OR PORK)

Steps:

• Frying the chicken (or pork): Cut up chicken (or pork) into small pieces.
• Mix breading ingredients (it will be runny).
• Dip each piece of meat into the breading then place into the oil until it turns brown.
• Make sure the meat has enough time to cook before removing it.
• Drain the fried chicken (or pork) and set aside, or place a cover over them to keep them warm.
• Sauce: Melt the margarine in a frying pan, and add the onion, green pepper and sliced carrots.
• I often add other peppers or snow peas as well.
• Once the veggies are cooked stir in the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the pineapple.
• Cook until it boils and add cornstarch if it is too runny.
• Finally add the Pineapple for the last 5 min.
• of cooking time.
• Finally: Serve over rice if desired.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken strips with salt and pepper and add to pan. Brown chicken and remove to plate. Add red and green peppers and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in pineapple chunks, juice, sugar, vinegar and broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer until sauce begins to reduce. Stir in cornstarch mixture and bring liquid to a simmer. Stir in chicken strips and cook for 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

SWEET AND SOUR PORK/CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine 2 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs rice wine, and meat in a bowl. Stir to coat & let marinate for at least 10 minutes.
• Mix in a small bowl, vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, water, 1 tbs cornstarch, 2 tsp soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce. Set aside.
• Remove meat from marinade. Dip meat in egg wash, drain excess, then dredge in cornstarch and shake off the excess.
• In a wok or deep fryer, heat oil to 360 degrees. Fry meat a few pieces at a time to not drop temperature, turning occasionally until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towel. Repeat process for remaining meat pieces.
• Sautee onions and bell peppers until onions are translucent, add sauce, cook sauce over medium-high heat, stirring, until boils and thickens then stir in pineapples and meat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Place meat on a bed of rice & top with sauce.

SWEET AND SOUR PORK

Steps:

• Prepare the pork: Combine the pork with all the marinade ingredients, mixing well. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Make the sweet and sour sauce: Heat the oil, ginger and garlic in a medium saucepan over low heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute, stirring. Add the rice vinegar, pineapple juice, honey, hawthorn berries, sambal oelek and five-spice powder; stir to combine while bringing to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the solids; return to the saucepan.
• Reduce the sauce to about 1 ¾ cups over medium-high heat, uncovered, about 5 minutes. Season with ½ teaspoon salt, adding more as desired.
• In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Bring the sauce up to a boil again, then stir in the cornstarch slurry. Stir as it thickens and bubbles, about 1 minute, then remove from heat. (Note: This sauce recipe may produce more than needed for your pork stir-fry; use as much as you desire and the rest can be saved for another use, such as a dipping sauce for crab rangoon.)
• Prepare to deep-fry: In a large wok (or deep skillet), heat the quart of oil to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the batter; add ½ cup water and whisk to combine. Drain any excess liquid from the marinated pork and discard. Working quickly in two batches, carefully dip each piece of pork into the batter one at a time, shaking off any excess, and drop into the oil. Fry the first batch of pork until golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer the fried pork to a wire rack-lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat with the remaining pork, mixing the batter thoroughly before coating the meat. After frying, carefully discard the oil, reserving 1 tablespoon.
• Return the reserved 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok or pan and heat over high. Once the oil is popping, about 1 minute, add the bell pepper, onion, pineapple and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly charred in spots.
• Scrape the vegetables into a large bowl and toss with the fried pork and enough sweet and sour sauce to coat (about 1 to 1 ½ cups). Arrange on a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.