Tom Daley's sweet & sour chicken | Jamie Oliver recipe (2024)

FAQs

Where did the recipe sweet and sour chicken come from? ›

The origin of sweet and sour chicken was in the 18th century or even earlier from China. It spread to the United States in the early 20th century after the Chinese migrant gold miners and railroad workers turned to cookery as trades. In some countries, the dish is known as Ku lo yuk.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make homemade sweet and sour chicken: For the sauce: water, pineapple juice from a can, white sugar, white vinegar, and orange food coloring. For the batter: cornstarch, self-rising flour, vegetable oil, an egg, salt, and white pepper.

While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.

Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt and pepper before putting it on the grill. This will lock in the moisture and add a ton of flavor to your chicken. Once the chicken starts to cook, you can brush each piece with your favorite barbecue sauce.

Tenderizing the Meat: Lemon juice can help tenderize the chicken by breaking down the fibers in the meat.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. Sweet and Sour Chicken is a popular American Chinese dish that is surprisingly easy to make at home! Super crispy chicken pieces are coated in the classic sweet and sour sauce that you'll want to pour over everything.

Sweet and Sour Chicken is an American Chinese takeout favorite, made by batter-frying chicken and tossing it in a quick sweet and sour sauce.

The original recipe was Shanghainese and used black vinegar. It's not meant to be orange, but black. But somewhere along the way, ketchup replaced the vinegar and it turned orange in the UK. Now that dish is called Sweet and Sour Chicken—Hong Kong style.

It is believed that the influence of Western cuisine, particularly European cooking with its use of sweet and sour combinations, contributed to the development of this dish. Adaptation to Local Tastes: As Chinese immigrants moved to different parts of the world, they brought their culinary traditions with them.