Sweet and Sour Chicken

We order Chinese takeout very few times a year since it's always greasy and super unhealthy. On the rare occasion when eat Chinese, Dr. Sweetpea either always orders General Tso's Chicken or Sweet and Sour Chicken. I was browsing one of my food magazines that I subscribe to and noticed they had a Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe in there and finally decided to make it at home. It only took one bite for Dr. Sweetpea to tell me that he's never going to order takeout again because the homemade version is the best that he's ever had. 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

(Source: Cooks Country)

Sauce

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons ketchup

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Chicken

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise on slight bias into 1/2­ inch­ wide strips

Salt and pepper

1 cup (5 ounces) all­ purpose flour

1 cup (4 ounces) cornstarch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups water

3 tablespoons plus 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil

2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1­inch pieces

6 scallions, cut into 1­inch pieces

FOR THE SAUCE: Combine pineapple juice, orange juice, vinegar, ½ cup water, sugar, ketchup, pepper flakes, and salt in medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium­high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced to 1½ cups, 8 to 10 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon cold water, whisk into sauce, and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer sauce to 2­cup liquid measuring cup; set aside.

FOR THE CHICKEN: Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with triple layer of paper towels. Line large plate with triple layer of paper towels. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Whisk in water and 3 tablespoons oil until smooth. Submerge half of chicken in batter, stirring to thoroughly coat.

Add remaining 2 quarts oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1½ inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Working quickly, with 1 piece of chicken at a time, use fork to spear chicken in batter and carefully drop into hot oil. (Use second fork to help release chicken into oil.) Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees.

Fry, stirring gently to prevent pieces from sticking together, until chicken is golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to paper towel–lined side of prepared rack. Let drain for 30 seconds, then move to unlined side of rack. Return oil to 375 degrees, submerge remaining chicken in remaining batter, and repeat frying with remaining chicken.

Turn off heat, add bell peppers to oil, and fry, stirring constantly, until softened, about 1 minute. Transfer to prepared plate. Add scallions to oil and fry until tender, about 5 seconds. Transfer to plate with peppers. Blot vegetables with paper towels to remove excess oil.

Microwave sauce until hot, about 1 minute. Gently toss chicken, bell peppers, scallions, and 1 cup sauce in large bowl to combine; transfer to platter. Serve immediately, passing remaining sauce separately.