Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken has succulent pieces of chicken in a crispy batter and covered in a sweet and tangy sauce. A take-away favourite made easily in the slow cooker!

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken (Hong-Kong style)

I often find that replicating the most famous dishes at home can be the most difficult – getting them to taste just as I remember from the restaurant or take-away! Sweet and sour chicken is one of those recipes that took me a while to perfect.

Authentic ‘Hong Kong Sweet and Sour Chicken’ requires that the chicken is first cut into pieces, then floured or battered before being fried and drizzled with the sauce. So the chicken must be moist, the batter crisp and the sauce just the right amount of fruity and tangy. My recipe for the slow cooker ticks all these boxes and makes a great addition to add to the Chinese fake-away repertoire!

Ingredients

• Chicken – Chicken breast cut into chunks and then battered. The batter also keeps the chicken moist during cooking.
• Batter – Make the batter using flour, water, egg, baking powder and seasoning. Use both wheat and corn flour in the batter as wheat flour creates a stable coating for the chicken whilst the corn flour keeps it light.
• Sauce – Use apple cider vinegar (for the tang!), ginger, garlic, brown sugar, tomato ketchup, pineapple and apple juice to make the base for the sauce (if you prefer you can use the same volume of just pineapple juice, I top-up with apple as it is a little less sweet and acidic). Season with some soy sauce and a pinch of mild chilli powder. Add pineapple chunks, onion, and peppers (capsicums) for crunch.
• Thickener – Corn flour is added to the sauce to create a syrupy texture to glaze the chicken pieces.

How to make it

Making the sauce for Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour chicken is simply a case of adding everything into the slow cooker – easy!

Preparing the chicken balls involves extra steps of battering and shallow frying them. This process only takes 20 minutes start to finish and it’s necessary to get an authentic flavour and texture.

Here are the steps in detail.

Make the sauce

1. Place the onions and peppers into the slow cooker with minced garlic. Sprinkle over the ginger, chilli and corn flour then stir to coat the vegetables.
2. Add the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, tomato ketchup and pineapple chunks.
3. Pour in the pineapple and apple juice, stir and cook for 4-5 hours on low.

Make the batter

1. In a bowl whisk together egg and water.
2. Sieve in baking powder and flour gradually and whisk continuously to ensure a smooth batter.
3. Season the batter with salt and pepper and set it aside.

Prepare the chicken

1. Remove any sinew from the chicken breasts, cut them into pieces and season well.
2. Dredge each piece of chicken in flour.
3. Pour oil into a frying pan on the stove and heat on a medium to high heat for a few minutes (see recipe notes for testing the oil is hot).
4. When the oil is hot enough, dip the chicken pieces in the batter mixture and place them into the oil slowly to avoid being splashed with hot oil.
5. Cook for 3-4 minutes on both sides. Once crisp and golden remove the chicken pieces.
6. Place the cooked chicken pieces on a wire rack over a baking tray to allow any oil to drip away. Add them to the slow cooker toward the end of cooking the sauce or serve them crisp with the sauce poured over.

Serving Suggestions

Serve crockpot sweet and sour chicken with boiled or fried rice and a spring onion garnish. The sauce and the chicken are both so flavoursome that you really don’t need anything more extravagant!

If you are looking to add some sides to the dish then crunchy prawn crackers or vegetable spring rolls (just as you would have from the take-away) make great additions.

Recipe Variations

It’s really easy to add extra ingredients to the sauce to create some variety in the dish. Baby corn on the cob, mange tout and bamboo shoots all add extra sweetness and texture.

Another great thing about this recipe is the fact that the sauce and the chicken are prepared separately meaning you can also use both in other dishes! Here are some ideas…..

Pork

Sweet and sour sauce also goes beautifully with pork. Try pouring some sauce over freshly cooked pork escalopes and serve with rice or potatoes and fresh vegetables.

Chicken Burger or Sharing Platter

Battered chicken pieces taste delicious on their own and are great as part of a sharing platter – they go particularly well with a BBQ sauce dip. Additionally, if you cut the chicken into larger flatter pieces they make great fillings for an indulgent chicken burger!

Lower Fat Option

Leave the batter off the chicken and serve it plain – a good idea if you are looking for a lower fat alternative. Simply add chopped pieces of chicken breast or thigh to the slow cooker at the start of cooking and they will gently cook in the sauce.

Bear in mind that the fat content of breast meat is lower so will need less cooking time (usually around 3-4 hours is sufficient depending on the type of slow cooker). Check the meat is thoroughly cooked (white meat with clear juices) before serving.

Tips to make Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

• Keep the peppers and onions firm by cutting them into larger chunks before cooking. For extra crunch add them to the slow cooker half way through the cooking time instead of at the start.
• There are a few stages in this recipe so to make things easier it’s best to work in a particular order. Make the sauce first and whilst it’s cooking prepare the chicken around an hour before serving.
• Make sure the the chicken pieces are well coated in the flour and fully covered in the batter mixture before frying. The batter creates a shell for the chicken which as well as being crunchy and delicious, also works to keep the chicken moist and juicy.

FAQs