Can I make the chicken ahead of time?

You can coat the chicken in the panko breadcrumbs a couple of hours in advance, then pop it in the fridge until you're ready to cook it and serve. If you like, the sauce can be made 3 days in advance, then reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop when you're ready to serve.

How can I keep the chicken crispy when I reheat it?

The best way to keep it crispy is to store it separately from the sauce, and to reheat it in the air-fryer, rather than the microwave. Pop it in the for five minutes at 360F/180C.

How else could I serve the chicken?

You could add extra vegetables if you like - steamed or broiled broccoli, green beans, pak choi or asparagus are great. You could also slice the chicken and stuff it into fluffy, steamed bao buns with a crunchy Asian-style slaw and spicy aioli , then drizzle the sweet and sour sauce on top.

Crispy Sweet and Sour Chicken

Name: Crispy Sweet and Sour Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: chinese
Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts; 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup cornstarch; 1 egg; 1 cup panko breadcrumbs; 3 tablespoons olive oil; ½ cup pineapple juice (from the can is fine); ¼ cup rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar); 1/3 cup honey; ¼ cup ketchup; 2 tablespoons light soy sauce; 1 teaspoon fish sauce; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; ¼ cup water; 1 cup of long-grain rice (like basmati); 2 scallions, sliced; 1/2 cup pineapple, diced; 1/4 cup cashew nuts, roughly chopped

Description

Give the classic takeout dish a fun little twist with these gorgeously crispy sweet and sour chicken bowls. Crispy, panko-crumbed chicken is piled on top of steamed rice and drizzled with the MOST gorgeous sticky, tangy sweet and sour sauce made from cupboard staples in just 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the crispy chicken -

2 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 egg
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons olive oil

For the sweet and sour sauce -

1/2 cup pineapple juice (from the can is fine)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

To serve -

1 cup of long-grain rice (like basmati)
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup pineapple, diced
1/4 cup cashew nuts, roughly chopped

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Instructions

Cook the rice. Add 1 cup of rice to a saucepan you have a lid for, then pour in 1 1/2 cups of water. Set over medium-high heat and when the top of the water starts to look foamy, pop the lid on. Let the rice cook for 12 minutes, then remove from the heat (still with the lid on) and let it sit for another 10 minutes.
Prepare the chicken. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound each chicken breast into a thin, even piece, roughly 1/4″. You can do this directly on a wooden board, or pop the chicken into a clear ziplock bag first. This tenderizes the meat and allows it to cook evenly. Sprinkle the salt over both sides of the chicken pieces. You can keep the chicken in two large pieces, or cut them into four. PRO TIP: If you don’t want to pound the chicken, just slice each breast in half lengthways to get even-sized pieces.
Bread the chicken. Place 1/2 cup of cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of Chinese five spice in a bowl, then mix to combine. Crack the egg into a separate shallow bowl (large enough to allow you to coat the chicken easily) then use a fork to mix well. Add 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs into a separate shallow bowl. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, place it into the cornstarch mixture and press to coat on both sides. Shake off any excess, then dunk into the egg on both sides before dunking it into the panko breadcrumbs. Press the chicken into the panko so it’s well-coated on both sides. Set the chicken aside for now.
Make the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of pineapple juice, 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar, 1/3 cup honey, 1/4 cup of tomato ketchup, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and 4 crushed garlic cloves to a pan and set it over medium-high heat. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water to make your cornstarch slurry, then add to the pan with the sauce. Cook, stirring, for about five minutes, until the sauce thickens up nicely. Set aside for now.
Cook the chicken. Add 3 tablespoons of oil to a large frying pan or skillet. When hot, add the breaded chicken and cook for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Depending on the side of your pan, you may need to do this in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside on a wire rack (if possible).
Garnish and serve. Pop the sauce back on the heat to warm it up, then divide the rice between bowls. Slice the chicken, then pour the sauce around the rice in each bowl. Scatter with the sliced scallions, diced pineapple and cashews, then serve.

Notes

PREP AHEAD: You can coat the chicken a couple of hours in advance if you like, then pop it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. The sauce can be made 3 days in advance if you like, then just reheated in the microwave when you’re ready to serve.

STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: If you want to keep the chicken crispy when you reheat it, using the air fryer is best (pop it in for five minutes at 360F/180C). You can reheat it in the microwave too, but you’ll lose the crispiness.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I often like to add steamed or broiled broccoli, pak choi or green beans here, or you could throw in edamame beans. You could also stuff the chicken into fluffy bao buns, with a crunchy Asian-style slaw, gochujang aioli and a drizzle of the sweet and sour sauce.

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 20
Category: fakeaways
Method: stove top
Cuisine: chinese

Nutrition

Serving Size: 250g
Calories: 708
Sugar: 43.3g
Sodium: 1294.4mg
Fat: 12.9g
Saturated Fat: 2.6g
Unsaturated Fat: 8.3g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 106.6g
Fiber: 2.4g
Protein: 40.7g
Cholesterol: 145.8mg