Sweet & Sour Chicken Fakeaway

[ This post is part of a paid collaboration with Peperami ]

It’s funny what lockdown does to people… I’m obsessed with cleaning… I miss the gym hardcore and I’m craving things I don’t normally crave like Sweet and sour chicken.

So when Peperami.tv challenged me to create a fake-away using their Pep’d up Chicken bites… It was a no brainer. I had to make a Sweet & Sour Chicken Fakeaway. The easy answer would be to chuck the bites in a sweet and sour sauce. In reality, I was craving Hong Kong-style sweet and sour chicken with that crispy coating. But I could not figure out how to make it work.

I did not want the chicken to dry out as its already cooked…. Then it hit me to break the rules (on the packaging) and freeze the bites. So when you cook the chicken bits, the coating crisps up and the bites just heat through.

Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself.

Sweet & Sour Chicken Fakeaway

Chicken:
4 Bags Peperami Chicken Bites (frozen overnight)
2 eggs lightly beaten
100g cornflour
150g plain flour
Oil to fry

Sauce:
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion peeled and chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 tbs easy garlic paste or 2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tbs easy minced ginger
150m tomato ketchup
3 tbs vinegar
75g brown sugar
1 tin (435g) pineapple chunks in juice

To Serve:
Boiled rice
Sesame seeds

For the chicken:
Heat the oil in a wok or pan until very hot about 180.
Whilst the oil is heating, place the egg in one shallow bowl and the cornflour in another shallow bowl. Add the flour to another shallow bowl and mix together.

Dredge the Frozen Peperami Chicken Bites in the cornflour, then dip in the egg (make sure all of the chicken is covered in egg wash), and finally dredge it in the flour. Add to the pan and cook on high heat for 6-7 minutes, turning two or three times during cooking, until well browned. You may need to cook in two batches.

Remove from the pan and place in a plate lined with kitchen towels.

For the sauce:
Add the oil to a large frying pan/skillet, heat it up on medium heat and add in the onions. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring every now and then until the onions start to go translucent.
Add the peppers and cook for a further minute.
Add in the garlic and ginger, cook for another minute.
Add the tomato ketchup, vinegar, dark brown sugar, and the tinned pineapple (including the juice) and stir.
Bring to a simmer and let it bubble until slightly thickened.
Transfer the cooked crispy chicken to the pan with the sauce and toss to coat.

To Serve:
Serve with boiled or fried rice and a sprinkling of sesame seeds