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Sweet & Sour Chicken Sticks
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Sweet & Sour Chicken Sticks
Servings: 2
: 475 kcal
Author: Just Jo
Ingredients
For the marinade
  • 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns finely ground
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed or peanut oil
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp soft brown sugar
For the kebabs
  • 400 g small chicken breasts or mini fillets
  • 1 red pepper cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 orange pepper cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 onion cut into 1 inch cubes red or white
  • 1 small can of pineapple chunks drained, juice reserved for the sauce
For the sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp rice wine vinegar Shaosing
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 60 ml pineapple juice from can
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp runny honey
  • Chilli sauce to taste
  • Cornflour slurry as necessary 1 tbsp cornflour blended thoroughly with 2 tbsp cold water
Instructions
For the chicken
  1. If not already sliced into goujons, do so with the chicken - about 1 inch by about 5 inches long each Mix all the marinade ingredients together then add the chicken - cover and refrigerate for at least 20 mins but upto over night if best.
  2. Soak 8-10 bamboo skewers in cold water as prepare all the other ingredients.
  3. Thread a strip of chicken onto a skewer, followed by a piece each of both peppers, a chunk of onion then a pineapple chunk.
  4. Repeat until all the chicken is used up and place on an oiled baking tray.
  5. Cook in a preheated oven (200˚C) for approximately 15 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and firm to touch.
For the sauce
  1. Heat the sesame oil in a small saucepan then add the garlic and ginger - soften but don't colour them.
  2. Next, stir in all the other ingredients apart from the cornflour slurry (I tend to measure them all out into a jug before I cook the garlic and ginger so these don't burn as you prepare these ingredients).
  3. Bring just to the boil then cook for a few minutes to ensure everything is well blended.
  4. At this point decide whether you want a thick or a more liquid sauce and add cornflour blended with water for a thick one or more water if you'd like it saucier.
  5. Also, you can add the remaining pineapple chunks to the sauce for a more traditional takeaway dish if you wish.
  6. As for the leftover veg, I stir fry the remaining peppers and onions in some oil and a teeny knob of butter with garlic, ginger and chilli as you only need 8-10 pieces of each.
  7. I add whatever veg else I have in - like mange tout, baby corn, sliced carrots, broccoli florets, spring onions etc and cook only until al dente to serve alongside the main dish.
  8. Serve with sticky rice.
Recipe Notes

Adapted from China Modern by Ching He-Huang