The sweet and sour (糖醋 táng cù) dish is a very popular type of Chinese cuisine and one of my husband’s favourites, but how did it become so popular? Does it really reflect Chinese tradition or was it adapted to Western tastes? Sweet & sour sauce is widely seen in modern China, from vegetable dishes to meat or seafood dishes, and most evidence points towards this flavour originating in the Guangdong area and was mostly applied to local fish cuisine back in the day. 

If you are a sweet and sour fan, and you have tried our sweet & sour beef balls (糖醋牛肉丸 táng cù niú ròu wán) and sweet & sour king prawns (糖醋虾球 táng cù xiā qiú) recipes, in today’s article, we will be making a scrumptious sweet and sour chicken dish that could be a perfect addition to your summer menu. 

Can Sweet and Sour Chicken be Made in an Air Fryer?

An air fryer may sound like an unconventional way to make sweet and sour chicken. However, it can help you cut down on some of the cooking time while giving you the requisite crispiness this dish is known for.

Traditionally, sweet and sour chicken wouldn’t be made in an air fryer but that doesn’t mean using one is wrong. In fact, use whatever helps you make your chicken crunchy and crispy.

For this particular recipe, we’re using our air fryer to cook our chicken before introducing it to our sauce.

Is Sweet and Sour Chicken Healthy?

As with most dishes, it depends on a variety of factors. For starters, eating sweet and sour chicken from a Chinese restaurant on a constant basis is probably not good for you. In fact, the average sweet and sour dish made in restaurants is about 1760 calories per plate. That’s quite a bit when you factor in how much sugar is put into their sauce.

Homemade sweet and sour sauce is still loaded with calories but can be significantly better for you compared to store-bought. For one, you can control how much sugar and other ingredients you put into the sauce. Furthermore, you can keep the portion as low or high as you see fit.

In China, sweet and sour chicken and other dishes of this type aren’t eaten daily. In actuality, we may eat them on special occasions and usually as part of a bigger meal that is shared with everyone.

What is Sweet and Sour Chicken Made Of?

To make this sweet and sour chicken the authentic Chinese way, you will need the below ingredients:

• Chicken breast 420g
• Pineapple 150g
• Red onion 80g
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp Chinese cooking wine
• 1 tbsp starch
• 1 tbsp egg white (optional)
• Light soy sauce 2 tbsp
• Chinese cooking wine 1 tbsp
• Chinese dark vinegar 3 tbsp
• Sugar 2 tbsp
• Ketchup 2 tbsp
• Starch 1.5 tbsp
• Water 3 tbsp
• 1 cup of starch soaked overnight

Is Sweet and Sour Chicken Gluten-Free?

Typical sweet and sour chicken recipes in China aren’t gluten-free by default. The primary source of gluten comes from Chinese dark vinegar, Chinese cooking wine and soy sauce. These are all ingredients for making the sauce. In ours, we also add some ketchup which may or may not contain gluten depending on the brand you’re using.

Thankfully, the guidelines for making sweet and sour sauce aren’t strict. You can use gluten-free substitutes to make your sauce, and consequently our delicious sweet and sour chicken.

You can substitute our dark vinegar for gluten-free options, such as balsamic vinegar. For the Chinese cooking wine, you can sub in a dry sherry which will do the job just fine. Finally, you can use a gluten-free soy sauce.

We hope you like and enjoy this super easy sweet and sour chicken recipe. If you are interested in other sweet and sour variations, please do feel free to try out our sweet & sour pork, sweet & sour beef ball, and our sweet & sour king prawn recipes. Enjoy (您慢用 nín màn yòng ）！