Chinese apricot chicken

A retro Australian-Chinese classic, this sweet and sour, deep-fried and stir-fried chicken dish holds a special place in many hearts. It's bound to be a crowd-pleaser for entertaining.

• serves

  2

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 3 chicken thigh fillets, cut into 5 cm pieces
• vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 1 brown onion, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 1 green capsicum, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 350 g (2 cups) potato starch or cornflour
• 2 apricots, quartered (or can substitute with tinned apricot halves)
• steamed rice, to serve

Marinade

• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp potato starch or cornflour
• ½ tsp salt
• 60 ml (¼ cup) water

Apricot sauce

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 45 g (¼ cup) brown sugar
• 125 ml (½ cup) apricot nectar
• 60 ml (¼ cup) white vinegar
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp potato starch or cornflour mixed with ¼ cup cold water

Marinating time: 20 minutes

Instructions

1. For the marinade, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the chicken, stir to coat and set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Heat the oil for deep frying in a wok or deep fryer to 180˚C and fry the onion and capsicum for 1–2 minutes or until the onion is lightly browned, then remove to a bowl and set aside.
3. Dredge the chicken in the egg, then in the potato starch or cornflour and fry for about 4 minutes or until crisp.
4. Combine all the apricot sauce ingredients except the potato starch mixture in a wok and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1–2 minutes, then add the potato starch mixture and simmer until thickened. Remove from the wok and pour into a jug. Add the chicken, vegetables and apricots to the wok and toss to combine well, then add just enough apricot sauce to coat and toss to combine. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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Watch The Full Episode Here

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