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Mary Berry Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

Mary Berry Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

Mary Berry's sweet and sour chicken is crispy, saucy, and completely satisfying — a homemade version that genuinely beats the takeaway.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 Portions
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British
Calories: 420
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Crispy Chicken:
  • 600 g boneless skinless chicken in 3cm pieces
  • 1 large egg white lightly whisked
  • 4 tbsp cornflour
  • ½ tsp salt ½ tsp white pepper
  • Sunflower oil for frying
  • Sweet and Sour Sauce:
  • 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
  • 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp pineapple juice
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 3 tbsp cold water
  • Vegetables:
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1 red pepper and 1 green pepper in 2cm pieces
  • 1 red onion in 2cm chunks
  • 200 g tinned pineapple chunks drained
  • 2 garlic cloves finely sliced
  • 2 cm fresh ginger finely grated
  • 4 spring onions in 3cm lengths
  • To Serve:
  • Jasmine rice sesame seeds, spring onions

Method
 

  1. Mix sauce ingredients (except cornflour slurry) — stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside with cornflour slurry ready separately.
  2. Toss chicken in egg white. Add cornflour, salt, and pepper — toss to coat evenly.
  3. Deep fry chicken in batches at 180°C — 3–4 minutes per batch until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm.
  4. In a hot wok with a little oil, fry garlic and ginger 30 seconds. Add peppers and onion — stir fry 2–3 minutes. Add pineapple and spring onions — 1 minute.
  5. Pour in sauce — bubble 1 minute. Add cornflour slurry — stir until sauce is glossy and coating. Taste and adjust.
  6. Add crispy chicken — toss gently to coat. Serve immediately over rice.

Notes

Fry chicken in small batches at the right temperature — crowding gives pale, greasy results.
Have everything ready before starting the sauce — stir frying moves fast.
Use egg white only in the coating — gives a lighter, crispier result than whole egg.
Serve immediately after saucing — the coating stays crispiest in the first 2 minutes.
Taste the sauce before adding chicken and adjust sweet, sour, and salt to your preference.
Do not freeze — the coating does not survive defrosting.
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