Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style

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My sweet and sour chicken hong-kong style simplifies the recipe and uses simple, healthy ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.

This dish will quickly become a family favorite! Like anything, homemade sweet and sour chicken is more delicious and much healthier than at a restaurant and it’s so easy to make!

Related: Chicken Manchurian

Related: Tomato Mascarpone Pasta Sauce

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What is Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong-Kong Style

You’re probably wondering what the difference is between regular sweet and sour chicken and hong-kong style sweet and sour chicken.

Hong-Kong style sweet and sour chicken is when the chicken is battered in a thin layer and fried prior to tossing in the sweet and sour sauce, so you’re left with a crunchy, saucy chicken dish.

Alternative to hong-kong style sweet and sour chicken, you have the Cantonese style which is essentially tiny pieces of chicken covered in a large amount of batter, fried, and served with the sauce on the side.

Equipment You’ll Need

Cast iron skillet – no need for a wok! Simply use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet for this dish.

Related: How to season and cook with cast iron

Recipe Highlights

• Mostly pantry staples – I had everything I needed to make this recipe in my pantry already and you probably have most too.
• Ridiculously delicious – honestly, this recipe is so good.
• Toddler and husband approved – both my toddler and hubby loved this sweet and sour chicken. This is a great way to get picky eaters to eat their protein and veggies!

How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style

Hong-Kong style sweet and sour chicken can easily be made in your own home with some simple, healthy ingredients. This recipe is adapted to make healthier by Khin’s Kitchen.

Stir-fry ingredients

• Chicken breast – thighs would work too and would add a little more flavor.
• Yellow onion – adds great flavor and texture to this dish.
• Garlic – any good Chinese dish starts with garlic, right?
• Red & green bell pepper – these add gorgeous color and texture to the dish and are traditional in sweet and sour chicken.
• Pineapple chunks – You choose, but they really do add to the sweetness of the dish.
• Avocado or coconut oil – either work great for frying the chicken since they’re both high-smoke point oils.

Marinade ingredients

• Arrowroot powder – you could sub cornstarch, but I’d take a look at my section below for ‘how to make sweet and sour chicken healthier’.
• Egg – a single egg helps to bind the ingredients together for this marinade.
• Coconut or liquid aminos – these work in place of soy sauce and are a healthier, just as flavorful option.
• Coconut sugar – this is a great natural sweetener.
• Sesame oil – sesame oil adds rich flavor to the chicken.
• White pepper – traditional pepper used in many Chinese dishes.
• Garlic paste – you could also use minced or mashed garlic cloves.

Sweet and sour sauce ingredients

• Rice vinegar – for the bit of sour we all love!
• Coconut sugar – natural sweetener making this sauce nice and sweet.
• Bone broth – preferably homemade for the most nutrients and flavor.
• No sugar added ketchup – this adds great flavor and natural color to the sauce!
• Tomato paste – more delicious flavor and color without the need for dyes.
• Pineapple juice – more sweetness!
• Arrowroot powder – this thickens the sauce up a bit.
• Sea salt – more flavor!

Step by Step Instructions (with photos)

• Prep the chicken and marinate.

• Prep the veggies.

• Make your sauce.

• Fry the chicken in batches then place on a paper towel-lined plate.

• Saute your veggies.

• Add the sauce to the veggies and saute until bubbly and thick.

• Toss in the pineapple.

• Throw in the chicken and combine until the chicken is coated in sauce.

• Serve atop a bed of rice and enjoy!

How to Store Homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken

Specifically Hong-Kong style sweet and sour chicken is best-eaten same-day and not stored for later. Since the batter layer is so thin and the chicken is tossed in the sauce, it gets soggy quickly. However here are some storage options:

Refrigerator

To store sweet and sour chicken in the refrigerator, simply place the leftovers in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

To reheat, place it in a warm cast iron skillet until heated through. You could also opt to heat in the microwave until heated through.

Freezer

To freeze your leftover hong-kong style sweet and sour chicken, place it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat, pull the dish out of the freezer and defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat as instructed above.

Storing Suggestions

If you know you’re going to want to store some of your sweet and sour chicken ahead of time I’d follow these steps:

1. Set aside some of the fried chicken after being fried.
2. Then set aside some of the sauce-covered vegetables after sauteeing.
3. Store the two separately.
4. When you’re ready to reheat, simply place the chicken in a warm cast iron skillet until heated through, then toss in the veggies and sauce and saute until warmed through.

In a Pinch Ideas

1. Don’t batter the chicken – you’ll sacrifice flavor but you could opt to either just marinate the chicken, but not dredge in the powder, or you could skip the marinating all together and just dry up the raw chicken and toss in the sauce.
2. Use canned pineapple – That’s what I used anyway for this recipe since I could use some of the juice for the sweet and sour sauce.
3. Get a saute package from the store – stores usually have a “saute packet” or “fajita packet” with bell peppers and onions already sliced. You’ll pay a premium, but you could always get those to shave off some prep time.
4. Use your favorite sweet and sour sauce – You could always use a store-bought sweet and sour sauce instead of making your own. I’d suggest checking the ingredient label though to make sure it’s a healthy one.

Western Style Sweet and Sour Chicken Tips

For restaurant-quality sweet and sour chicken Hong Kong style, be sure to follow the recipe tips below.

• Fry the chicken in small batches – this prevents the well-heated oil from dropping temp too much resulting in crispier chicken.
• Double fry if you have time – This takes a ton of time, but will result in crispier chicken. To do this, fry one batch of chicken, set on a plate, then fry the other batch. Once that batch is done, remove and replace the first batch to dry again for several more minutes. Do this will all your chicken.
• Let your chicken marinate – I highly recommend keeping the order of my recipe the same since it builds in time for your chicken to marinate and develop it’s flavors while you’re chopping and making the sauce.
• Use gloves – wear gloves to toss the chicken in the marinade so you can really get it coated. Same for when you’re dredging the chicken in the powder just before frying.

How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken Healthier

Making sweet and sour chicken Hong-Kong style healthier begins by making it at home so you can control the ingredients. When you get takeout sweet and sour chicken, you’ll notice the sauce is fluorescent orange – that’s from food dyes.

1. Homemade – making anything homemade is going to be healthier since you can control how much and what goes into your food.
2. Quality ingredients – Use quality, high-smoke point oils; organic, pastured chicken; organic vegetables; and good quality sauces, spices, and vinegar.
3. No sugar added – Yes, sweet and sour chicken is supposed to be sweet, but I want you to control that with how much sugar you put in. Avoid ketchup that has added sugar.
4. Natural sweeteners – my recipe calls for coconut sugar in the sweet and sour sauce, but you could also use honey, maple syrup, date syrup, or many other healthy natural sweeteners.
5. Arrowroot powder vs cornstarch – cornstarch is a refined carb, meaning that it has undergone extensive processing and has been stripped of its nutrients. Arrowroot powder is a much healthier alternative.
6. Homemade bone broth – Using homemade bone broth is much healthier than the nutrient-devoid store-bought ones. See my recipe here.
7. Liquid or coconut aminos – either of these options is much healthier than GMO and salt-flooded soy sauce.

Serving Suggestions

1. Coconut rice – my favorite way to cook rice is to soak 1 1/2 cups overnight, then drain the water, add 2 cans of coconut milk, bring to a boil, drop the heat and add the lid and cook for 30-45 min until done.
2. Steamed vegetables – Along with the bed of rice (or in place of it) you could add steamed vegetables on the side like green beans or broccoli.
3. Fried rice
4. Noodles

Hong-Kong Style Sweet and Sour Chicken Alternatives

Don’t batter the chicken

I recommend against this, but if you are in a pinch you don’t have to batter the chicken.

Omit pineapple

You’re either team pineapple or not, if you hate it, simply omit it.

Veggie variations

Snow peas, green beans, shallots, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts or broccoli are great to add or replace with any of the veggies I mention.

Meat variations

This dish can be made with pork or prawns as well using the same methods, just replacing the meat and cooking accordingly.

Vegan variation

Using tofu is a good option for this dish too. You don’t need to batter tofu, simply fry and follow the same directions from there.

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