Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken (Nigerian style)

Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken

We are going on a pretend journey to a Chinese restaurant but doing this at home. I am sharing a familiar dish when we eat out and that is Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken. So why do  Nigerians like  Chinese foods? I think it’s what is called the umami taste profile. Basically, umami is a taste profile that is between sweet, savoury and even bitter. It is the best way to describe the taste of say Oha Soup. Anyway so much for the lectures, let’s go back to our Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken.

Living in Nigeria where electricity is not constant means that we cook dishes that can be reheated and that has limited our choices. When you want that occasional special dish why not try my today’s offering.  To enjoy the full benefit of this dish you have to cook eat and wash the pot, ha ha ha. Really come to think of it this was how our parents ate. For them, each  meal was cooked from scratch. Okay I know times have changed but let’s do this from time to time.

The thing about today’s recipe is that the peppers are best enjoyed crunchy so reheating will take away the appeal. Get your ingredients and your apron and let’s get cooking. Some of the preparation can be done a day before so all you are doing is putting the dish together just before serving. The 3 major steps in this recipe are preparation of the chicken, preparation of the base sauce and chopping of the vegetables.

How to make Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken

Whole Chicken breast

2 cloves minced Garlic

1/2 cup Corn flour

1 table spoon sliced fresh Ginger

1/2 cup large diced Green Bell Pepper

1/2 cup large diced Red Bell Pepper

Half cup Pineapple chunks

8 – 10  tablespoons Tomato Ketchup

3 tablespoons brown Sugar or Honey

2 table Spoon Apple Cider Vinegar or Lime Juice

Chicken Seasoning to taste

Dry Pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper (optional)

1 cooking Spoon Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

Method for making Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken

1. Cut the chicken into small bite size cubes or pieces. Seasoning with salt, dry pepper,minced garlic, black pepper chicken seasoning and allow to marinade . You can do this overnight or 30 minutes before use.

2. Chop up the peppers, onion and ginger and set aside

3. In a pot mix the sugar or honey, tomato ketchup, vinegar,and 4 tablespoon corn flour dissolved in 4 table spoon of water.

4. Bring the mixture to a simmer  to cook the corn starch for about 4 minutes. Stir continuously when the sour starts to heat up. You will notice that the pale whitish color changes to translucent. If you are using canned pineapple you can add drain the water into the sauce. in terms of sweetness or tartness you can adjust the sugar and lime to your taste.

5. Coat the chicken with the remaining corn flour , heat the oil and fry till golden brown. You can actually do step 3/4 whilst frying the chicken

6. In the oil where you have just fried the chicken, add the a little chopped onion and the ginger and cook for 2 minutes.Add the peppers and pineapple and  cook for 1 minute

7. Return the sauce pot to the fire, add the chicken and vegetables and stir for about 2 minutes

8. Serve your Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken with rice or spaghetti