The Best Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls! These are seriously just too good, you don’t even know. This is a dish I need to have every once in while with a side of Fried or Steamed Rice. Just munching on the Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls with the eyes closed to fully envelope the Flavors, Textures and how it all comes together for pure bliss. I just can’t have these any other way.

We’re talking about an old style Chinese restaurant Red Sweet & Sour Sauce loaded with Flavor. Coating the Crispiest Golden Chicken Balls. With a good ratio of Batter to Chicken and a nice 1 inch chunk of Chicken too. You’re going to absolutely Love these! These can also be made up in batches to produce Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken plated in 30 minutes or less anytime you want.

Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce

This is just a wonderful Sweet & Sour Sauce that takes me back to my younger years. Where Chinese Restaurants use to make this in house during the 80’s – 90’s. Nowadays you got Chinese Restaurants using Maltose & Ketchup and just lacks that Flavor that Chinese restaurants use to have.

This makes a pretty decent size of Sweet & Sour Sauce that isn’t thickened just yet. This happens with a slurry right before serving the Sauce. The Sauce is simmered for about 45 minutes and then strained and cooled. Whenever Sweet & Sour Sauce is needed, it is added to the Wok with a Starch Slurry to thicken to serve over Chicken Balls.

Portion any leftover Sauce in ziploc bags or tupperware and freeze. To use, just remove from the freezer and heat up in a saucepot. Add the Starch Slurry to thicken and serve.

How to Make Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce

Prepare the Sweet & Sour Sauce first or the day before to develop the flavors even more.

1. Combine Oil, Ginger, Garlic and sauté few minutes over medium heat.
2. Add Pumpkin Puree and Tomato Paste and cook a few minutes. Add in remaining ingredients except the Red Food Coloring and Slurry (the Slurry will be used last to thicken the Sauce). Bring to Boil. Reduce the heat to medium – medium low and let simmer partially covered for 45 minutes.
3. After 45 minutes. Shut the heat off and let it cool down an hour or so. Strain the Sauce, through a fine sieve. Add the Red Food Coloring and adjust the taste. Portion and freeze or use right away for Sweet & Sour Sauce.
4. To Serve, heat up the desired amount of Sweet & Sour Sauce. Combine about 1/2 Tbl Potato Starch & Cold Water for each Cup of Sweet & Sour Sauce. Add to the Sauce while it is simmering to thicken. Remove from the heat and let cool a bit, about 3-5 minutes before ladling over the Chicken Balls.

You don’t have to let it rest for an hour. But you do develop better flavor when you do and even more so if made the day before.

Sweet & Sour Sauce Consistency

The thickness of the Sweet & Sour Sauce is created at the very end right before serving with a Slurry. How much Slurry you add determines the viscosity of the Sauce. Want a thinner Sauce add less, thicker add more.

Slowly add the Slurry to the Sauce while simmering and mixing. Remove from the heat as soon as it has thickened or add more Slurry to thicken it even more. I find that 1/2 Tbl of Starch & Water is good for 1 Cup of unthickened Sweet & Sour Sauce.

Keep in mind that the Sauce does thicken as it cools down. This is why you want to let the Sauce sit for about 3-5 minutes to cool down some before ladling over the Chicken Balls. You don’t have to let it sit. But you do get better coverage over the Chicken Balls if the Sauce is allowed to thicken some as it rests.

Instant Sweet & Sour Sauce

There is another version of the Sweet and Sour Sauce I was curious to create and wondered if it would work. It does and it is extremely quick and easy. This is my version of an Instant Red Sweet and Sour Sauce in powdered form or a Cherry Sweet & Sour Sauce.

Just mix together all the dry ingredients. Add them into a pot with 1 C of Cold Water. Whisk well and bring to a boil until thickened and serve over Deep Fried Chicken Balls.

The Kool-Aid must be in powdered form and with added Sugar or just the small packets of Kool-Aid without Sugar. To which you will have to add the Sugar to taste yourself. Liquid Kool-Aid doesn’t work the same.

Chicken Breast

Dice Chicken Breast into descent size chunks, at about 1 inch or slightly bigger. On the underside of the Chicken breast is sometimes the Chicken Tenderloin. This is a small piece of meat that is attached and can be trimmed off and used for Fried Rice or included for Chicken Balls. You can also just place them into a freezer bag to save until you have enough to make Chicken Fingers.

Deep Fried Chicken Ball Batter

With a good ratio of Batter to Chicken and Serious Crunch when fried up Golden Crispy. These really are just the Best Chicken Balls. They also maintain that Crunch to some degree even when sauced. You really can’t get any better.

The Poly Flour needs to be made first in order to make the Deep Fry batter. The leftover Poly Flour can be stored in a tupperware container in a cool dry place. The Poly Flour is also used in various other recipes.

Chinese Chicken Balls

With the Sweet & Sour Sauce prepared and the Chicken Ball Batter ready to go. Dice Chicken Breasts into 1 inch pieces to get about 24 pieces. These are then ready to be deep fried in a Wok filled 1/2 way with Oil.

Don’t use a Deep Fryer since the Chicken Balls will stick to the Basket. For homemade Chicken Balls it’s best to use a Wok with a Thermometer to gauge the heat. Use a Pair of Tongs to flip over the Chicken Balls as they cook for even browning. Use a Spider to scoop them all out into a screen basket on a baking tray so that they can drain off any excess grease.

Chinese Restaurant Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls

Chinese Restaurants make the Sweet & Sour Sauce and Chicken Balls ahead of time or at least they use to. I’m pretty sure these are just outsourced now. The Sweet and Sour Sauce would simmer all day and then get strained and into the walkin cooler. I’m not sure and really can’t remember if the Sauce was thickened with a Slurry or if Maltose was used as the Sugar medium and to give the Sauce viscosity.

The Chicken Balls would get coated in a Sweetened Pancake Batter and deep fried and then emptied into a container. This container filled with Chicken Balls would go into the walkin. Whenever Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls were ordered they would go back into the Deep Fryer to heat through, just a minute or so.

Nowadays I’m pretty sure that all Chinese restaurants out source both the Sweet & Sour Sauce and Chicken Balls. It’s just not the same anymore. This recipe however, will deliver that Belly Smile!

Big Batch Chinese Chicken Balls

Instead of doing 2-3 Chicken Breasts, double or triple the recipe and do a bunch of these up. Place all of the Chickens Balls on a baking sheet after they have been deep fried and freeze. Once frozen transfer to a freezer bag.

With the Sauce already portioned and frozen along with the premade Chicken Balls. Making this dish can take just a few minutes to have on the plate. The Chicken Balls can also be used with a bunch of other Sauces like Pineapple Chicken Balls (Also a favorite of mine, the flavors are just Superb), Orange Chicken and Lemon Chicken.

Big Batch Sweet and Sour Sauce

The Sweet and Sour Sauce included in this recipe is already a decent amount. Although this can be doubled or tripled and portioned off to freeze. Whenever you need some Sweet and Sour Sauce, heat the frozen or thawed Sauce up in a pan and add to it the Slurry to thicken right before serving.

About 1/2 Tbl of Starch & Water each, per 1 Cup of Sweet and Sour Sauce.