Name: Sweet-and-Sour Chicken from the Wok with Couscous
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Argentine
Ingredients: 500 g chicken (breast or thigh), in large cubes; 4 tbsp corn or sunflower oil; 1/2 tsp chopped garlic; 1/2 tsp grated ginger; 1 carrot, in fine rounds; 1 onion, in large cubes; 1 pepper, cut into strips; 1 tbsp sesame oil; 3 tbsp fresh chives, chopped; 2 tbsp soy sauce, for the marinade; 2 tbsp rice wine or white wine, for the marinade; 1/2 tsp white pepper, for the marinade; 1 tsp salt, for the marinade; 1 tbsp sesame oil, for the marinade; 8 tbsp rice or cider vinegar, for the sauce; 4 tbsp white sugar, for the sauce; 2 tbsp soy sauce, for the sauce; 6 tbsp ketchup, for the sauce

Sweet-and-Sour Chicken from the Wok with Couscous

⏱ 60 min in total🔪 10 min prep🍳 30 min cooking🧊 20 min resting🍽 4 portiesEasy

The sweet-and-sour chicken from the takeaway, made at home — and with the sequence that makes it work there: marinate first, mix the sauce separately, and only then bring it all together in the wok in seconds.

The sauce is mixed in advance and not assembled inside the wok. At that temperature there is no time to add ingredients one by one: it goes in all at once and takes body in two minutes.

And the chicken comes out of the marinade well drained. Wet meat lowers the wok's temperature and ends up steaming instead of browning.

The same wok without the sweet-and-sour is the Asian-style chicken stir-fry.

Ingredients

Measurements

🍽 4 servings

500 g chicken (breast or thigh), in large cubes
4 tbsp corn or sunflower oil
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 carrot, in fine rounds
1 onion, in large cubes
1 pepper, cut into strips
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce, for the marinade
2 tbsp rice wine or white wine, for the marinade
1/2 tsp white pepper, for the marinade
1 tsp salt, for the marinade
1 tbsp sesame oil, for the marinade
8 tbsp rice or cider vinegar, for the sauce
4 tbsp white sugar, for the sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce, for the sauce
6 tbsp ketchup, for the sauce

Method

In a bowl, mix the 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, the 2 tablespoons of rice wine, the white pepper, the salt and the tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the large cubes of chicken, cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes.

In a small pan over low heat, mix the warmed vinegar with the sugar, the 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and the ketchup until the sugar has dissolved completely and you have an even sauce. Set aside — it has to be finished before the wok gets hot.

Heat a wok or large pan over high heat with half of the corn oil. Add the well-drained chicken (keeping the marinade liquid) and stir-fry it until it is browned all over. Take it out of the wok and set it aside on a plate.

In the same wok, add the rest of the corn oil and stir-fry the chopped garlic, the grated ginger, the strips of pepper, the rounds of carrot and the cubed onion. The vegetables should stay glossy and crisp — do not let them fall apart.

Return the chicken to the wok along with the sweet-and-sour sauce you set aside. Toss energetically over high heat for a couple of minutes so the whole thing reduces and the sauce clings to the ingredients. Turn off the heat and drizzle with the fresh tablespoon of sesame oil.

Serve immediately, scattered with the chopped chives. The house suggestion is to present it on a bed of couscous or white rice, to balance the intensity of the sweet-and-sour flavours.