Crispy Sweet and Sour Chicken with Pineapple-Vinegar Glaze

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Boneless chicken thighs get a quick soy-and-egg marinade, a shaggy cornstarch batter, and a double fry so the crust shatters instead of slumping. The sauce is built separately from fresh pineapple juice, rice vinegar and ketchup, then thickened and cooled slightly before the chicken goes in — tossed off the heat, coated fast, and served immediately while every piece is still loud and crisp.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/4-inch chunks
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1 large egg

• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup cornstarch, for dredging
• 6 cups neutral oil for frying (peanut, canola or vegetable)

• 1 cup pineapple juice (from a 20-oz can of pineapple chunks in juice, or fresh)
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
• 1.5 cups pineapple chunks, drained and patted dry
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• Steamed jasmine rice, for serving

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken chunks with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, ginger, salt and white pepper. Crack in the egg and mix with your hand until every piece is slick and coated. Let sit 20 minutes at room temperature (or up to 4 hours refrigerated).
2. Make the sauce base: in a small saucepan, whisk together the pineapple juice, rice vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 3 minutes to soften the garlic's raw edge.
3. Stir the cornstarch slurry to recombine, then whisk it into the simmering sauce. Cook 45 to 60 seconds, whisking, until the sauce turns glossy and thickly coats a spoon. Off the heat, stir in the 1 tsp sesame oil. Set aside uncovered — you want it warm, not boiling, when the chicken goes in.
4. Cook the vegetables: heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until shimmering. Add the bell peppers and red onion and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes, until blistered in spots but still crunchy. Add the pineapple chunks and cook 1 minute more, then scrape everything onto a plate. Do not add sauce yet.
5. Pour 2 to 2 1/2 inches of frying oil into a heavy Dutch oven and heat to 340°F. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan nearby.
6. Build the batter: in a wide bowl, whisk 3/4 cup cornstarch, the flour and baking powder. Add 1/2 cup cold water and whisk to a thin pancake-batter consistency. Put the remaining 1/2 cup cornstarch for dredging in a second shallow bowl.
7. Working with a handful of chicken at a time, lift pieces from the marinade, drop them in the batter to coat, then roll them in the dry cornstarch, pressing lightly so a shaggy, craggy coating forms. Shake off excess.
8. First fry: lower 8 to 10 pieces into the 340°F oil, keeping them separate. Fry 4 to 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until pale golden and cooked through (internal temp 175°F for thighs). Transfer to the rack. Repeat with remaining chicken, letting the oil return to 340°F between batches.
9. Second fry: raise the oil to 375°F. Return all the chicken to the pot in two batches and fry 60 to 90 seconds per batch, until deep golden and audibly crisp. Drain on the rack. Do not cover.
10. Assemble off the heat, and fast: put the hot chicken in a large dry bowl with the stir-fried peppers, onion and pineapple. Pour over about three-quarters of the warm sauce and toss 15 to 20 seconds, just until glazed — add the rest only if it looks dry.
11. Tip onto a platter, scatter with scallions and sesame seeds, and serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice. The crust stays crisp for roughly 5 minutes, so get it to the table straight from the bowl.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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