Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style

If you are craving the sticky, crunchy, and positively irresistible flavors of your favorite Chinese food, look no further! This sensationally easy Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style delivers plenty of saucy crunch with easy ingredients and simple methods!

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If you loved cooking this Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style, why not try some more Asian-inspired recipes!? Keep the deliciousness with these Asian favorites:

What is Hong Kong Style Sweet and Sour Chicken?

This delicious Chinese dish originates from the island of Hong Kong and is packed with layers of flavors. It consists of battered and deep-fried bits of chicken that are smothered in a tangy and sweet sauce. Often the dish is finished with pieces of onion and bell pepper.

What sets Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style apart from other regional preparations of this dish is the batter. The Hong Kong style will use a much thinner layer of batter than others.

What You Will Love About Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style!

Quick and Delicious!

This chicken is just plain tasty! It hits all the flavor notes, sweet, salty, umami, and sour with perfect balance. The perfect food has to have crunch and this amazing chicken has crunch by the mouthful!

There is nothing more exciting than a dish so flavorful that can be ready with such little effort! In no time at all, you can be digging into the most flavorful and crunchy chicken with no special equipment needed!

Restaurant-Quality at Home!

After one bite of this saucy chicken, you will be looking for the takeout containers! Eating this chicken is like having your favorite Chinese restaurant meal, only even better! Try staying in for a delicious gourmet Asian meal with this sumptuous Sweet and Sour Chicken!

Popular with all Ages!

Hong Kong Style Sweet and Sour is a dish everyone will agree on! Adults and kids alike will enjoy the bold yet balanced flavor in the sauce and who can resist a perfectly breaded piece of chicken!? If you want to have some quality family time around the dinner table, try serving this Sweet and Sour Chicken!

Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Chicken

Seasoned Chicken:

Chicken Breast-For this recipe, you will want to use boneless skinless chicken breast. Fresh chicken, never frozen, chicken is the best choice for this recipe but in a jam, you can substitute fresh for frozen. If opting for frozen, be sure to fully thaw the chicken in the fridge overnight before using.
Salt-This ingredient is the key seasoning. Use a fine kosher or sea salt to season the raw chicken.

Chicken Batter:

All-Purpose Flour-All-purpose flour is the top choice for making batters and breading for fried foods. It has the right texture and flavor to make the perfect batter.
Cornstarch-Cornstarch is the secret to truly crispy and crunchy fried foods. If you are making a batter or breading, always include this handy ingredient to add extra crunch!
Baking Powder-Baking powder is another ingredient that amps up the crunch of fried foods. If you are out of this ingredient, swap it with a little extra cornstarch.
Salt-A touch of fine sea salt or fine kosher salt adds some flavor to the breading.
Egg-This ingredient acts as the binder for the batter and it adds tons of airiness to this tasty fried food!
Water-Water helps thin out the batter to make it easy to coat the chicken.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

Tomato Ketchup-Ketchup has just the right amount of sweetness to tanginess to make a nice base for this sauce. Use your favorite brand in this recipe and if you are watching your sugar feel free to swap this for a low or no-sugar variety.
Sugar-Granulated sugar adds the signature sweet flavor to this sauce. Optionally, you can swap this ingredient with another sugar-free sweetener, like agave.
White Vinegar-White vinegar has the perfect tangy zip to give this sauce the sour bite you expect! In a pinch, you can substitute this ingredient with apple cider vinegar, but that may add extra sweetness to the sauce.
Soy Sauce-Soy sauce adds the salty, fermented flavor that this sweet and sour is missing! You can use standard or low-sodium soy sauce in this sauce.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Season the Chicken:

Slice the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces and put them into a medium-sized bowl. Add the salt and set aside.

Make the Chicken Batter:

In a large bowl, add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, egg, and water. Mix together to make a smooth batter.
Add the mixture to the chicken.

Finish the Sauce and Fry the Chicken:

Mix the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce. Mix until incorporated.
Meanwhile, heat two cups of cooking oil. Dip a chopstick in the middle and if bubbles form, the oil is at the right temperature.
Deep fry the chicken until golden brown and drain excess oil with a paper towel.
In a large wok, heat one tablespoon of oil and saute the onion for one minute.
Add the bell pepper and saute for another minute.
Add the prepared sweet and sour sauce and let it simmer.
Add the chicken and gently mix together until the sauce coats the chicken.

Expert Tips and Tricks

Make sure the oil is at temperature before deep frying. This helps avoid soggy breading.
Shake some of the excess batter off the chicken before adding it to the oil.
Always drain the chicken on paper towels before adding it to the sauce!
Be gentle when mixing the chicken into the sauce so all the delicious breading stays intact!

What to Serve with Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style?

This chicken is so bold and saucy that it hardly needs anything else, but to complete the plate try some simple white or brown rice.
You can even go all out and make crab rangoon and fried rice for a meal that looks straight out of your favorite takeout restaurant!

How to Store and Reheat Sweet and Sour Chicken

Allow the chicken to cool completely and then move it to an airtight container. Leftovers of this Sweet and Sour Chicken can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If you’re not in a hurry, reheat the chicken in a wok. Heat the wok over medium heat on the stovetop and then add the leftover Hong Kong Style Chicken. Heat the chicken, stirring frequently, until it is warm throughout.
If you want the chicken to reheat quickly, use the microwave. Place the desired amount of leftover Sweet and Sour Chicken in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for up to 2 minutes or until warm throughout.

Is Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style Healthy?

Sometimes the tastiest foods are not the best for us, and sadly that is the case with this chicken. It is fairly high in salt and sugar, so it should be considered more of an indulgence than an all time food. However, if you generally live a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet, eating this delicious chicken once in a while is perfectly fine!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong style

4.80 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Author: Shobee

Equipment

Wok or pan
mixing spoon

Ingredients

Sweet and Sour Sauce

5 tbsp White Granulated Sugar
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
5 tbsp White Vinegar
5 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

Chicken Batter

1/2 lb Skinless Chicken Breast
4 tbsp All Purpose Flour
3 tbsp Cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 large egg
5 tbsp Cold Water
1/2 cup sliced red onion
half of the Red onion cubed
half of the green onion cubed
1 1/2 cups canola oil for frying

Instructions

Sweet and Sour Sause

Place all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Set aside.

Prepare the Batter and the Chicken breast

Slice the chicken breast into one-fourth-inch thick bite-sized pieces. Place them in a medium size bowl.
Add the salt, cornstarch, flour, baking powder, egg. and water into the bowl and mix using a spatula or your hand. Mix the ingredients together until there are no lumps.
When ready, heat one and a half cups of canola oil. Test the heat temperature by dipping a chopstick in the middle of the pan and if bubbles congregate around the chopstick, the oil is hot enough.
Deep fry the chicken until golden brown. Put some distance between the chicken to maintain the temperature. Drain excess oil in the paper towel.
When the chicken is cooked and ready, remove two tablespoons of the hot oil into a wok/pan and saute the onion for two minutes. Add the pepper and saute for another two minutes. Add the prepared sauce and let simmer for three minutes. Add the cooked chicken and mix gently to coat.

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Hi, my name is Shobee. Welcome to The Skinny Pot, where we cook Easy Recipes from the available ingredients from our pantry and fridge! We’re your go-to source for simple and delicious recipes that make the most of what you already have at home. Talk about the pantry challenge. Read more...