SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN: A classic that's worth re-visiting....

SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN: A classic of Chinese Restaurants from our youth, brings back good memories of the Mi Kin Low Cafe in Tijuana, Mexico. Did you know Mexico is known for good Chinese Food? Yup, it's a fact, but we have all nationalities very well represented too!

Been on an Asian kick for some reason, might be the fact that for all the great food here in Merida, Yucatan (we have some absolutely divine Sushi places here) but THERE IS NO GREAT CHINESE FOOD! The best is supposed to be PF Chang's (yes, really). Now I'm not knocking PF Chang's, it's good but it's not Chinese. it's an American chain restaurant, and while American chains are much better here than in the US due to their using less processed foods and do actual cooking, that results are fresher and just better quality. Good for us, but I still refuse to eat McDonald's ugh.

Anyhoo, asked Rene and he suggested something like this and it took me on memory lane and while the recipe is a little bit involved, it's not hard to make at all and the results are worth it. Much better than take-out too and cheaper, since I had all the ingredients, why not.

I had two large double breasts, bone-in that I used for this. What I usually buy since I can easily de-bone them and will have the carcass to use when making stocks. Works for me. The breasts were so large that I split them in half  lengthwise and then cut then into strips and then into cubes about 1 inch in size. Since it was twice as much as called for, I doubled everything, ok?

You will need:

8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, in cubes
1 Tbls white wine or Chinese Shaoxing wine

For the strir-fry:
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, cut in cubes
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, cut in cubes
1 tomato, small, cut in wedges
1 scallion stalk, cut in fine pieces
1 celery stalk, cut in small portions
1-2 cups Pineapple, in chunks

Oil for frying

For the batter:
4 Tbls all-purpose flour
4 Tbls corn starch
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp baking powder

For the glaze:
3 Tbls catsup
2 Tbls Chinese chili sauce  or your choice
1 tsp Hoisin Sauce (Plum Sauce)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Rice Vinegar
1 tsp Oyster Sauce
1 Tbls sugar
3 Tbls water with 1/2 tsp corn starch, mixed well

White Pepper as needed or desired

Cut your chicken into cubes and marinate with the wine for about 10 minutes.

Mix the batter in a bowl and put the chicken in the batter and mix well.

Prepare the sauce and have it ready. Have the water and corn starch mixed and ready to be added.

Heat up the oil to fry the chicken once hot. Don't over crowd the pan and place the golden chicken on towels or a tray to drain. Do this until all chicken is fried. If you have a wok, great, if not use a deep pan.

Set the pan aside or if you're going to be using the same pan to stir fry the dish then remove the oil (let it cool some) to another jar / bowl after filtering it to be re-used. Take 3-4 Tbls of the oil and put it in the pan you will stir fry the chicken in and bring it to temperature over high heat.

Add the garlic and stir it for a couple of minutes and the add the bell peppers and continue sauteing them until they become fragrant, just a minute or two. Add the rest of the veggies / fruit. Add the corn starch to the sauce and mix well and then add the sauce to the pan and mix well, you will see the sauce start to thicken almost right away, lower the heat to medium and then add the chicken and mix well so the glaze covers the chicken really well. Continue to mix it well for another 3-4 minutes. You can serve. Enjoy!

This recipe can be adapted to Pork, Shrimp or just and all veggie stir-fry. You can add more chili sauce to make it spicier or you can add more fruit if you like. Hope you enjoy it!