Crispy fried chicken pieces in a glossy sweet and sour sauce with pineapple and bell peppers. The trick is to pour the sauce over the chicken right at the very end so the breading stays crispy and doesn't get soggy. This is how you get exactly the texture at home that made this dish famous.
Why this works
A crispy breading is a dried-out breading, and its crust holds up as long as it doesn't absorb water. The sweet and sour sauce, however, consists almost entirely of water, and starch attracts moisture. From the moment the two come together, a clock of about two minutes starts ticking. That is why it is not tossed in the sauce, but poured over at the table.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Bread the chicken
Mix the cornstarch, flour, and salt in a shallow dish. Toss the chicken cubes first in the beaten egg and then thoroughly in the flour mixture so they look dry and slightly rough all over. Exactly this rough surface will become crispy later. Place the breaded pieces loosely next to each other on a board and let them rest for five minutes so the breading adheres properly.
- 2
Fry
Heat the oil in a deep pot to 175 °C. A wooden skewer should immediately draw fine bubbles when you hold it in. Fry the chicken pieces in batches for about four minutes until golden brown and place them on a wire rack to drain, not on paper towels, otherwise the underside will get soggy. For extra crispiness, fry them again for one minute at 190 °C just before serving.
- 3
Prepare the sauce
Stir the ketchup, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and pineapple juice together in a pot and bring everything to a boil once. Taste the sauce now: it should taste distinctly sweet and distinctly sour, because the chicken will absorb a lot of it later. Add a little more vinegar or sugar if necessary until the balance is right for you.
- 4
Cook vegetables and thicken sauce
Sauté the onion and bell peppers in a pan with one tablespoon of oil over high heat for two minutes, they should absolutely remain firm to the bite. Add the garlic and pineapple and sauté for half a minute. Now pour in the sauce, stir in the mixed cornstarch, and let everything simmer while stirring for one minute until the sauce is glossy and coats the back of a spoon.
- 5
Serve
Only now add the crispy chicken pieces to the pan and toss them very briefly, just long enough until they are coated with sauce. The longer they sit in the sauce, the more crispiness you lose, so from here it goes straight to the plate. Serve with fragrant jasmine rice.
Our best tips
- Only combine the sauce with the chicken at the last moment, otherwise the breading will get soggy.
- Frying twice makes the difference: the second short round at a higher temperature drives the residual moisture out of the crust.
- Drained canned pineapple is better here than fresh, because its juice immediately provides the base for the sauce.
Tasty variations
Without frying
Spray the breaded pieces with oil and bake in the oven at 220 °C convection for 18 minutes, turning halfway through.
Sweet and sour tofu
Use firm tofu instead of chicken, press it well beforehand, and bread it the same way.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 596 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 38 g |
| Carbohydrates | 62 g |
| – of which sugar | 28 g |
| Fat | 21 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
Estimated, not calculated – why
Here some of the ingredients never reach the plate: most frying oil stays in the pan, and in a stock the solids are strained off. How much of it ends up in the food cannot be calculated – counting a litre of oil would quintuple the figure, leaving it out would describe a dish baked without fat. So this is an editorial estimate rather than a total that would look dependable without being so.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Can I prepare the chicken in advance?
Yes. Fry it once up to two hours beforehand and leave it on a wire rack. Just before serving, fry it hot again for one minute, then it will be like fresh.
How does the sauce get thicker?
Mix another teaspoon of cornstarch with cold water and stir it in. Always mix first, never sprinkle dry starch into the hot sauce.
Why did my breading fall off?
Usually the chicken pieces were too moist or the oil was not hot enough. Pat the meat dry before breading and check the oil temperature.
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