What’s your trashy food court favourite food? I don’t really partake that much any more (and obviously not right now), but in my childhood and teen years, I was a food court champion. I can still picture the scene at my childhood mall, where it usually came down to a battle between two places: NY Fries and Manchu Wok.

NY Fries was a winner because to me, there’s nothing better than a giant cone of crispy, salty, skin-on fries with multiple, and I mean multiple, paper cups filled with ketchup for dunking. But Manchu Wok gave NY Fries a run for their money because of one thing: those little deep-fried chicken balls (that were more batter than chicken) and that sticky, sweet, fluorescent orange sauce.

Well, in a post-gallbladder/current quarantine life, I’m not really into Manchu Wok anymore, so it’s now the time to make our trashy junk food favourites at home! I actually made this recipe ages ago, but abandoned it because it was too time-consuming. Plus, one of my all-time dreaded kitchen tasks (along with separating eggs, chopping chocolate, and grating cheese, if you’re keeping track) is a dredging station. But upon remaking it last week (because I truly welcome a lengthy cooking project now) it didn’t take as long as long as I remember.

First up, you whisk together a handful of ingredients to make the sauce. Yes, it’s filled with sugar, yes it’s bright orange. But it’ll give you major Manchu Wok vibes, so you must go with it (it also reminds me of these). Next up you dice the chicken, toss it in cornstarch, and coat the pieces in whisked eggs, before quickly frying them in a hot pan until golden brown. The cornstarch and egg form a nice crust that mimics the batter on those chicken balls (but not as doughy of course). Once that’s done, the chicken pieces go into a baking dish with the sauce, and they’re baked for an hour.

I can’t even explain how happy this chicken made me. I don’t cook much chicken or meat at home these days, but this one was worth it. I made some quick fried rice on the side, and it was like a ’90s food court dream come true.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

Sauce

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vinegar (just plain white vinegar is okay, or apple cider vinegar)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Chicken

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

1. First make the sauce by whisking together the sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and garlic powder until combined. Set aside.
2. Next, get the chicken ready by cutting it into 1″ pieces (or a bit bigger is fine). Add the cornstarch, salt and pepper to a medium bowl and stir together. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl, and toss together until they’re coated in cornstarch. (You can also do this in a resealable plastic bag, but I’ve stopped buying those in 2020).
3. Whisk the eggs together in a medium bowl.
4. Preheat the oven to 325° and get out an 8×8 glass baking dish.
5. Set a nonstick plan over medium heat, and add the oil. When it’s nice and hot, get this little assembly line going: dunk a piece of chicken into the whisked eggs to coat it, then add it to the hot pan. You might be able to fit everything into the pan, or have to do this in two batches. When the chicken is golden brown on one side, flip it over and repeat on the other side. As chicken browns, add the pieces to the baking dish. The goal here is just to brown the chicken and form the coating, not to cook it all the way through.
6. When all the chicken is in the baking dish, pour over the sauce. Stick in the oven and bake for an hour, stirring a couple times as it bakes.