Name: Sweet and Sour Chicken
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into ⅛-inch slices; 2 tsp. light soy sauce or shoyu; 2 tsp. Shaoxing wine or dry sherry; ½ tsp. sugar; ½ tsp. baking soda; 1 large egg white; 2 tsp. cornstarch; Juice from one 8- or 10-ounce can pineapple chunks or rings; 3 Tbsp. ketchup; 2 Tbsp. distilled white or apple cider vinegar; 1 tsp. light soy sauce or shoyu; 2 Tbsp. sugar; 2 tsp. cornstarch; 1 Tbsp. water; 3 Tbsp. peanut, rice bran, or other neutral oil; 1 large red bell pepper, cut into ¾-inch dice; 1 large green bell pepper, cut into ¾-inch dice; 1 small white or yellow onion, cut into ¾-inch dice; 4 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 4 tsp.); 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger (about ½-inch segment); Chunks from one 8- or 10-ounce can pineapple or pineapple rings cut into chunks; 1 cup cashews (optional)

A serving bowl of sweet and sour chicken being served with rice.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

Depending on exactly what part of the United States you live in, you may know sweet and sour chicken in various forms. In a puffy batter with neon red sauce, perhaps. Or deep-fried until crisp and served with a sweet and vinegary glaze. The version I make is based on a recipe my old colleague Chris Chung used to make for staff meals when we worked together at Uni, a sashimi bar in Boston. Chris, a Honolulu-born Chinese chef, got his chops in various kitchens around Oahu, where he picked up this particular recipe. It has canned pineapple (and ketchup!) on the ingredients list. I think I can safely say that this is the only recipe I’ve ever written that includes canned pineapple—and for this recipe, the canned version works better than fresh.

For the most efficient process here, get your chicken in the marinade first, chopping your vegetables, mincing aromatics, and mixing your sauce while it marinates.

This recipe was excerpted from 'The Wok' by J. Kenji López-Alt. Buy the full book on Amazon. Get more Chinese chicken recipes here →