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Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls

Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls

The Best Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls with Battered 1 inch Chunk of Chicken Deep Fried until Golden and Crispy. With that amazing old style Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce ladled over the Chicken Balls.
This recipe pulls together two (2) separate recipes, the Chinese Sweet & Sour Sauce that is prepared in advance and the Crispy Golden Chicken Balls when ready to make.
Servings: 24 Chicken Balls
Prep10 minutes
Cook 1 hour
Rest Time for the Sauce1 hour

Equipment

  • 1 Large Pot
  • 1 Small Sauce pot for the thickened sweet and sour sauce that will be served over the chicken balls
  • 1 Spider to lift up all of the Chicken balls
  • 1 Wok
  • 1 Thermometer
  • 1 Baking Tray with a Screen
  • 1 Small Bowl for the Slurry to thicken the Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Prepare the Sweet & Sour Sauce. This will take about 45 minutes and another hour to rest. This can also be made the night before. Strained and refrigerated.
  • Prepare the Batter for the Chicken Balls and dice Chicken Breast into 1 inch or slightly larger pieces and add it to the Deep Fry Batter and mix.
  • Place Oil into the Wok to fill about 1/2 way and heat over max heat until the temperature reaches 375 F. Fit the Wok with a Thermometer so that you can gauge the heat.
  • Gently drop about 12 pieces into the Oil. Move the Chicken Balls around with the Spider to lift them up from the bottom and separate the Chicken Balls if some of them are stuck together.
    Deep Fry for about 5 - 8 minutes or until golden crisp turning them over every so often or as needed. Scoop them out and transfer to a wired basket. Repeat for the second batch once the Oil is back at 375 F.
    The Oil temperature will initially drop when adding in the Chicken Balls. Keep the heat on max and watch the thermometer. Keep the heat around 350 F - 375 F. See notes.
  • In a small pot combine 1 Cup of the Sweet & Sour Sauce with 1/2 Tbl of Starch and Water. Bring it to a boil. as it thickens remove from the heat and let sit 3 - 5 minutes before serving over the Chicken Balls.

Notes

 

Heat Control

Heat control is very important when deep frying in a Pot or Wok. Keep an eye on the thermometer in order to keep the heat at about 350 F — 375 F. When the first batch of Chicken Balls go in, the Oil will drop significantly to about 300 F — 340 F. Keep the Heat on max and by the time the Chicken balls are done, you should be at 350 F or slightly over. If the heat does climb too fast, drop the heat to medium to maintain the heat and if necessary transfer the wok off the heat to cool even faster. 
 
 

Freezer Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls

Both the unthickened Sweet and Sour Sauce and the cooked Chicken Balls can be portioned off and frozen to be reheated later. Preparing this in advance and reheating later can have this dish on the plate in less than 30 minutes. Just reheat the Chicken Balls in the Oven, Air Fryer or Deep Fry them again. Heat the Sauce and thicken with the Slurry to serve. 
 
 
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Keywords: Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls, Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls, Red Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls, S & S Chicken Balls, Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls, Sweet and Sour Chicken
Author: JAH