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The 1 Dollar Sweet and Sour Chicken | But Cheaper

Restaurant sweet and sour chicken is already cheap, but I think we can make a homemade version that's not only better, but even cheaper.

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Prep
20 minutes
Cook
20 minutes
Total
40 minutes
Serves
4
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The 1 Dollar Sweet and Sour Chicken | But Cheaper
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Ingredients

Veggie and Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 red bell pepper cut into 1” chunks
  • 1 green bell pepper cut into 1” chunks
  • ½ red onion cut into 1” chunks
  • 1 cup (220g) pineapple, medium diced
  • 2 Tbsp (30g) granulated sugar
  • 3.5 Tbsp ketchup
  • ½ cup (120ml) pineapple juice
  • 3 Tbsp (45 ml) rice wine vinegar
  • ½ cup (120 ml) hot water
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 2 Tbsp (15g) cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp (28g) water
  • 3 cloves garlic finely minced (folded in at the end)

Chicken and Batter:

  • 1 lb (450g) chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into 1” chunks
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • ¾ cup (112g) all purpose flour, plus ½ cup for dusting 
  • 2 Tbsp (28g) cornstarch
  • 1 tsp (5g) baking powder
  • ½ tsp (3g) baking soda
  • ¾ cup (180ml) ice water
  • 1 Tbsp (14g) vegetable oil, plus more for frying.

Directions

  1. Chop vegetables into 1” pieces and toss in a bowl. Separately, dice pineapple and place in a small bowl.
  2. Season chicken and let it sit covered at room temp to cure for 8 minutes before cooking.
  3. For the sauce, mix together sugar, ketchup, pineapple juice, rice wine vinegar, and whisk together before adding hot water and season with salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water.
  4. Whisk the dry ingredients together, then stir in the ice water with a fork. Mix in the vegetable oil until combined.
  5. Heat a wok with 2 cups of vegetable oil to 350℉ and fry chicken in batches for about 2 - 4 minutes or until a nice golden brown crisp texture is achieved, drain on a wire rack. 
  6. Remove oil from wok leaving about 3 Tbsp behind. Stir fry onions and peppers for 1 minute
  7. Add sweet and sour sauce mixture, add in the slurry to thicken as needed adjust acidity, sweetness and saltiness if needed
  8. Refry the chicken and stir it back in, or simply stir it back in without refrying.
  9. Serve over white rice.

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