Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls

This past long weekend my husband, father and a bunch of guys went to our cottage in northern Michigan to tear down and rebuilt a deck.  What do you do when your Keto-dieting husband leaves you for the weekend with two kids?  Cook nothing but carbs and sugar filled garbage!  I pulled out a lasagna that had been languishing in my freezer for way too long.  I made my favourite batch of cookies (well current favourite- there are far too many delicious cookies in the world to have only one favourite forever).  And I made dirty American-Chinese food.  You know- the kind that you would never actually find in China.

A year ago I randomly stumbled upon a recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls and just could not resist trying it out.  It was perfectly nostalgic.  The batter around the chicken puffed up to those crunchy sweet doughy balls I remembered from childhood.  The sauce was even slightly florescent orange.  I was suddenly 11 again, ordering the combo dinner platter that came with won ton soup that had only 1 won ton in it and crunchy, greasy egg roll that somehow made cooked cabbage taste delicious.

Like most food that we loved when we were kids, this dish is completely devoid of nutrition, has far too much sugar and should only be cooked on the rarest of occasions.  But if you are also craving a trip down culinary memory lane- don’t change a thing.  Just enjoy this recipe in all of its gluttony.

Note: This recipe halves well if you are cooking it for only 1 or 2.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls
The English Kitchen

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/4 cup ketchup (55g)
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar (60 ml)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (50g)
1/2 cup white sugar (95 g)
3/4 cup of water (180mL) plus 2 1/2 Tbsp
1 1/2 Tbsp corn starch

Chicken Balls
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup flour (70g)
1/2 cup corn starch (75g)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup water (120 mL) plus 1 1/2 Tbsp (see note)
1 tsp sesame oil
frying oil

To make the sauce: whisk together the ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar and both sugars in a saucepan. Whisk together the water and corn flour until well blended. Whisk the corn flour slurry into the ketchup mixture. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Continue cooking for several minutes, then set aside and keep warm.

To make the chicken balls: combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar in a bowl. Whisk in the 1/2 cup of water to make a thick batter, whisking vigorously. You want the batter to be thick so it will cling to the pieces, but it should still flow somewhat. The batter was compared to ‘extra tacky glue’. Add the additional water (if needed) a bit at a time to get the right consistency. Add the chicken pieces, and stir with your hands to make sure they are all well coated.

Heat 4 inches of frying oil in a heavy saucepan, to 375F. Carefully add the coated chicken pieces a few at a time. Fry them in the hot oil, stirring occasionally until they are golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. When cooked, the chicken should register 160F with an instant read thermometer. If the chicken is browning too quickly, turn down the heat. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and keep warm on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Serve with the sweet and sour sauce and some fried rice.

Note: the sauce can be made the day before and refrigerated. Reheat gently when ready to serve.