Sweet Fire chicken-1 easy copycat Panda recipe
Sweet Fire chicken-1 easy copycat Panda recipe. Sweet fire chicken is probably one of the easiest Asian recipes your will ever make. Frying the chicken is probably the most difficult. The Sauce is simple because it is already made for you. The sauce is Pantai Spring Roll Sauce from Thailand. You should be able to find it in most Asian markets. Make sure you get the right one, because they have few that look similar. I have this in both the Chinese and Thai sections. The reason I added it to the Thai is the sauce is from Thailand. Otherwise, it is pretty much an American/Chinese recipe.
There are a few different ways to bread chicken for sweet fire chicken or general Tso’s chicken. My recipe will use a traditional way using an egg white. You can also coat the chicken in a mixture with fifty percent flour, and fifty percent corn starch, or make a batter with the same flour and corn starch mixture. You can see my process down below. All methods will result in amazing chicken. The trick is to fry the sweet fire chicken twice.
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Pantai
Spring Roll Sauce
Pantai is a sweetened spring roll sauce from Thailand. It is made from sugar, water, red chili and turnip carrot, salt, and garlic. The have a hot and spicy version, which is really hot. I would advise tasting this before you add it to a meal. All you need to do with this sauce is add a little more garlic and ginger and add as much Pantai as you like. That is it!
Steps to make the chicken
Step 1 is to marinate the chicken cubes in garlic, white pepper, soy sauce, and Shao Xing Wine. Add one egg white to the chicken. This is called, Velveting. This a traditional method.
In step 2 I mixed the egg white, a tsp of cold water and a 50 percent flour to 50 percent cornstarch mixture. You can substitute potato starch for corn starch.
This is what the chicken will look like after a 1-2 minute fry. You will need to fry this chicken twice to a golden brown for that extra crispy batter. This image is after the first fry.
Ingredient of the Day-Corn Starch
Corn starch is a white, powdery substance that is derived from corn kernels. It is a type of carbohydrate called a starch and is commonly used as a thickener for sauces, soups, and stews, as well as a binder for processed foods and baked goods. Corn starch is also used in the paper and textile industries, and as a coating for food products to prevent them from sticking to one another. It is a versatile ingredient that is valued for its ability to create a smooth, creamy texture and its neutral flavor, making it a popular ingredient in many recipes. You can substitute potato starch for corn starch in the recipe.
Corn starch is widely used as a thickening agent in many countries, including China. In Chinese cooking, it’s common to use substitutes such as potato starch, tapioca starch, arrowroot starch, or rice flour. These starches are often used to thicken sauces, soups, and stews, as well as to make dishes like dumplings and noodles. Each of these starches has a unique texture and flavor profile, so substitutions may affect the final outcome of a dish, but they are often readily available in Chinese grocery stores and can be used as a suitable substitute for corn starch.
steps to make Sweet Fire Chicken
Above are the steps I used to create the Sweet Fire Chicken
- marinate and fry the chicken twice by using the steps above
- set about 1/2-3/4 cup of Pantai Spring Roll Sauce
- add diced red peppers to hot wok with 1 tbsp of oil, and toss for 2 minutes
- add pineapple, garlic and fresh ginger and toss for 1-2 minutes
- add chicken, and sauce and heat on med for 1-2 minutes
- add green onions and you are done. Yes, it is that simple!
Joke of the Day!
“Why did the carrot break up with the potato? It could not handle the couch-potato lifestyle!”
Sweet Fire Chicken
Equipment
- 1 bowl
- 1 deep fyier or pan to fry chicken
- 1 wok saute pan
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade and Fry
- 500 grams cubed chicken breast or thighs
- 2 tsp shao xing wine
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup all-purpose flout
- ¼ cup corn starch potato starch
- 1 tsp cold water
- 1 clove chopped garlic
- 1 tsp white pepper
Other Ingredients
- 200 grams pineapple or more or less
- 175 grams about 1 whole red pepper cubed
- 350+ grams ½-¾ cups of Pantai Spring Roll Sauce see link in notes
- ¼ cup chopped green onions scallions
- 2 cups rice
- 1 tsp fresh ginger
Instructions
Chicken Marinade
- dice chicken into cubes500 grams cubed chicken breast
- add soy, shao xing wine, white pepper, and garlic let sit for 4 hours to overnight2 tsp shao xing wine, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp white pepper
- heat up frying oil 350-375 degrees
- add egg white, water, flour, and corn starch and mix. This is a traditional breading. If you want thicken breading. Separate chicken and put on flat pan after above steps. Add a light coating of the flour and corn starch and let sit for 5- minutes. Both sides1 egg white, ¼ cup all-purpose flout, ¼ cup corn starch, 1 tsp cold water
- Pick up chicken individually, hold in oil fro 10 seconds before dropping if using a wire basket. (so it will not stick). Fry chicken for 1-2 minutes. remove and drain
- Fry chicken a second time until golden brown about 2 minutes. Remove and drain
Rice
- cook 2 cups of rice according to the directions. Wash Rice!2 cups rice
Wok
- add 1 tbsp of oil to wok and stir fry red peppers for 2 minutes on high heat175 grams about 1 whole red pepper cubed
- add pineapple, garlic and ginger and stir fry for 1-2 minutes1 clove chopped garlic, 200 grams pineapple, 1 tsp fresh ginger
- add fried chicken and Pantai sauce to coat chicken heat for 1 minute over med heat350+ grams ½-¾ cups of Pantai Spring Roll Sauce
- add green onions and stir. Remove from heat and serve¼ cup chopped green onions