Sweet and Sour Chicken
Updated: Oct 6, 2020
Servings: 6
Storage Life of Ingredients: 1 year
Crisp, tender chicken with garden fresh vegetables and a sweet, tangy sauce. This sweet and sour chicken recipe is one of our family's favorite Chinese dishes.
Pictured Process
Reconstitute the crystallized egg according to package directions. Make a batter by combining the egg, water, oil, flour, cornstarch, and baking powder together with a wire whisk.
Dip the chicken pieces in the batter and then deep-fry them in a wok in hot oil until golden brown. I put my burner on medium low. The oil should be 350 degrees. Cook for 3 minutes on each side. Cut one piece open to make sure chicken is cooked all the way through. Adjust temperature and cooking time as needed. Drain on a paper towel.
Combine the sugar, water, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until sauce thickens, stirring constantly.
Cut the green pepper and onion into bite-sized pieces.
Saute in a tablespoon of canola oil until onion is translucent and vegetables are crisp tender.
Add the pineapple and chicken.
Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Stir to combine. Serve over rice or chow mein noodles.
Storage Tips
Chicken: I have two types of chicken storage, home-canned and frozen. I seal chicken using a vacuum packed sealer system so it lasts for a year in the freezer without getting freezer burn.
Egg: Powdered whole eggs work great for baking, but if you are going to make eggs to eat as a meal, purchase crystallized eggs (or raise some chickens!). They reconstitute much easier than powdered eggs and taste like real eggs. Crystallized eggs cost about twice as much as regular eggs, so I purchase a year’s supply, but only rotate one or two cans a year. Crystallized eggs store for five to ten years, so regular eggs can be used most of the time and the stored eggs only have to be replaced every five to ten years. Once a can of eggs is opened, store the remaining eggs in a storage bag in the freezer. Label the bag with directions for reconstituting, the date it was purchased, and the date it expires. The storage life for an open can on the shelf is one month.This is an estimated storage shelf life. You should always check the expiration date on the container or check with the manufacturer.
Flour: Bread flour can be stored in 5 gallon food-grade buckets with resealable lids. Layer the flour with bay leaves to keep the weevils away. Grains will keep for at least a year using this method.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch has an indefinite shelf-life.
Canola Oil: Canola oil has a shelf-life of one year after opening.
Salt: Table salt has a shelf-life of five years.
Pineapple Chunks: Canned goods usually have a shelf-life of two years. Check the "best by date" on the can since you don't know how long it has been sitting on the store shelves.
Sugar: Technically, sugar does not go bad, but it has a recommended shelf-life of two years after it has been opened.
White Vinegar: Distilled white vinegar has an indefinite shelf-life.
Ketchup: Ketchup has a shelf-life of 6 months if kept in the refrigerator. Try our homemade version with shelf-stable ingredients here.
Soy Sauce: Soy sauce has a shelf-life of 1 1/2 years according to the "best by" date on my container. Always check the "best by" date since you don't know how long it has been sitting on the store shelves. I keep mine in the refrigerator for longer storage once it has been opened, but it is not necessary.
