Sweet, Sour, and Spicy Chicken Nuggets

Name: Sweet, Sour, and Spicy Chicken Nuggets
Yield: Serves 2 to 3 as a main course, 4 to 6 as part of a multicourse meal
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar; 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice; ¼ cup unsweetened pineapple juice; 1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch squares; 2 tablespoons thinly cut green and white scallion rings; 1 pound skinless, boneless fresh chicken breasts (2 pounds with skin and bone), cut into 1-inch cubes; ¼ cup cider vinegar; 2 cups China Moon Double Stock or unsalted chicken stock; ¼ cup sugar; 1 red (bell) pepper, cut into 1-inch squares; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares; 4 fat scallions, cut into 1-inch nuggets; 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1½ tablespoons cold chicken stock or water; 1 large egg white; Diagonally sliced green and white scallion rings, for garnish; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; ½ cup water chestnut starch; 3 cups corn or peanut oil; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 1½ tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger; 1¼ cups pineapple chunks; 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry; 1 to 2 small red Fresno chilis, cut crosswise into paper-thin rings; 1½ tablespoons finely minced garlic

Preparation info

Serves
2 to 3
as a main course

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

China Moon Cookbook

By Barbara Tropp

Published 1992

About

I am not a great fan of sweet and sour dishes or pineapple, but I like this spicy variation, the invention of one of our early sous-chefs. The “sour” is made interesting by a mixture of fresh lemon and orange juices and plum wine, and the “sweet” is offset by the addition of fresh ginger and chilis. I recommend it to the Trader Vics of the 90s!

Frying the chicken adds a wonderful lushness. However, if you are oil-shy, you can instead poach the chicken in water as described in

Ingredients

Asia
China
Dinner
Spicy

Ingredients

Method