hello hi everyone! Wesley here. Today we’re adding on to our series on foods from TV and Film with a sweet and sour chicken, inspired by “How I Met Your Mother.” Its origins (as you may have guessed) very much come from American cuisine, and for this reason, very prominently features the use of both canned pineapple AND the pineapple syrup that it’s canned in, for an almost aggressively sweet quality.

It is commonly paired with a handful of other colorful veggies like red bell pepper and white onion, and of course makes use of the all American classic condiment, Ketchup, in order to achieve that bright red color that you’ll know and love. We’ll be using one of my favorite go-to fried chicken recipes with a double fried, carbonated soda water tempura batter, which yields (in my opinion) the best fried chicken results in a Chinese glazed chicken dish like this one that i’ve ever managed.

 

Serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 1 tbsp (about 1 inch) ginger

  • 3 green onions

  • 3 medium chicken thighs (or 1 chicken breast)

  • 1 red bell pepper

  • 1/2 medium white onion

  • 1/2 cup diced pineapple

  • 2 tbsp corn starch dissolved in water

  • peanut oil

  • 24 oz fryer oil (canola, corn, vegetable)

INGREDIENTS (tempura batter)

  • 2 egg whites

  • 1/4 cup AP flour

  • 1/4 cup corn starch

  • 1/4 cup soda water (or still water)

INGREDIENTS (marinade)

  • 4 tbsp light soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)

  • 2 tbsp shaoxing wine

  • 1/2 tsp white pepper

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil

  • pinch kosher salt

INGREDIENTS (sauce)

  • 1/2 cup pineapple syrup

  • 4 tbsp sweet chili sauce

  • 2 tbsp ketchup

  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar

  • 2 tbsp doubanjiang

  • pinch kosher salt

PREP

  • CRUSH and mince the garlic, set aside

  • FINE MINCE the ginger, set aside

  • SEPARATE the whites and greens of the green onions, then slice thinly on a bias, set aside

  • LARGE DICE the bell pepper, set aside

  • LARGE DICE the onion, set aside

  • LARGE DICE the chicken thigh, then combine with all marinade ingredients and set aside for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour

  • COMBINE all sauce ingredients, set aside

  • COMBINE all tempura batter ingredients and whisk into a smooth batter

  • ADD marinated chicken to the tempura batter, set aside

ON THE STOVE

  • HEAT the fryer oil to 350F, then add the chicken 10-12 pieces at a time for its first fry for 2 minutes

  • REMOVE and let cool on a dryer rack for 5 minutes

  • HEAT the fryer to 400F, then add the chicken 10-12 pieces at a time for its second fry for 3-5 minutes until golden brown

  • REMOVE the fryer oil, wipe down the wok, add 4 tbsp peanut oil, and long yao

  • ADD the bell pepper and saute for 1 minute, then add the onion, saute for an additional 2 minutes, then remove from heat

  • ADD 2 tbsp peanut oil, and long yao

  • ADD the garlic, ginger, and whites of the green onions and bloom until fragrant for about 10 seconds

  • ADD the sauce mixture plus corn starch slurry and reduce until a loose syrup texture forms

  • REMOVE the wok from heat, then add the chicken, veggies, and pineapple to the wok, and toss to combine

  • FINISH with sesame seeds and greens of green onions

 

tagged with woo can cook, sweet and sour chicken, sweet & sour chicken, how i met your mother chinese food, fried chicken