Classic Sweet and Sour Chicken

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides.

Add the onion, and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring well.

Throw in the peppers, baby sweetcorn and stirfry for 3-4mins until softened.

Make the sauce by mixing the ketchup, Kikkoman Soy Sauce, white wine vinegar, sugar and cornflour in a small bowl.

Add the ginger and drained pineapple chunks to the pan, then stir in the sweet and sour sauce.  Make up the pineapple juice to approx. 300ml with either a little water or stock and add to the pan. Cover and simmer for 10mins, stirring occasionally. If the colour is a little pale, add the tomato puree for a richer sauce.

Serve with rice or noodles.

For super succulent chicken, why not try ‘velveting’ the chicken before cooking. This is an authentic Chinese cooking technique, used to prevent overcooking and give a smooth moist texture to the meat.

Before cooking the chicken, toss it in a mixture made from 1tbsp cornflour and 1 egg white. Leave it to marinate for 30mins in the fridge.

When ready to cook, heat 2-3cm oil in a pan and quickly fry the chicken for about 30seconds, until it turns white. Lift it out of the oil, drain on a plate, then add to the recipe after the onions and garlic, stirring well and allowing it to cook through.

This is so quick and easy to make, vary the vegetables and meat depending on what’s in the fridge, and the sweet and sour sauce comes together in seconds. Better than the take away!