• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Khin's Kitchen logo
  • All Recipes
  • Popular
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe my Newsletter
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Popular
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe my Newsletter
×
Home » Recipes » Chicken

Chinese Chicken Balls with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Published: Jul 21, 2021 · Modified: Jul 26, 2021 · by Khin · This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe

This ultimate Chinese Chicken Balls with Sweet and Sour is a highly requested recipe on the blog. This recipe brings together a Chinese restaurant-style battered chicken with homemade sweet and tangy dipping sauce!

A white plate containing crispy chicken balls and a small dipping bowl with sweet and sour sauce.
Jump to:
  • Why you need to try this recipe
  • Ingredients explained & variations
  • How to make sweet and sour chicken balls
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Watch How To Make It Recipe Video
  • What to serve with this dish
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews

With our simple tips, you can make very fluffy, crispy, non-greasy, chicken balls with simple ingredients in no time!

You can find this dish on the menu of every Chinese restaurant and takeaway in the UK. If you are a seafood fan, you might also like our favourite Crispy Sweet and Sour Prawn Balls recipe, made with king prawns and homemade sauce!

Why you need to try this recipe

  • These chicken balls are classic Chinese appetizers that all kids and adults love. Perfect as a starter, main meal, finger food, or party snack. Your dinner guests will definitely love it!
  • Super addictive, easy to make, and budget-friendly!
  • If you can make it right, it is faster and tastes way better than ordering from a Chinese restaurant/takeaway!

Ingredients explained & variations

Labelled ingredients for chicken balls on the white table.

Chicken: Ideal to make with boneless chicken breast, but you can also try it with boneless chicken thigh or prawns.

For vegetarian options, use tofu or cauliflower heads, cut into 1" cubes and skip the marinade part. Season with seasoning ingredients and coat with the batter straight away.

Batter: I use plain flour, corn starch, baking soda, salt and water. The batter consistency should be medium thick, not too thick not too watery. If you prefer thick batter, reduce the water amount and create a thick batter.

Can I use self-raising flour? If you have self-raising flour in hand, you can add self-raising flour and corn starch ( flour to corn starch ratio is 1 : ½ ). Skip the salt and baking soda if they are already in self-raising flour.

Ingredients for chicken balls batter.

Dipping Sauce: Ketchup, white vinegar, and sugar are the 3 essential ingredients to make sweet and sour. I add tomato puree to bring more red colour, if you don't have it in hand you can skip it and add tomato ketchup instead. You will also need a pinch of salt to taste and cornstarch to thicken the sauce.

You can add extra lemon juice or pineapple juice to bring more flavour. Some restaurants add msg in their sauce, but we don't think it is necessary because it has already sugar inside and perfectly taste great on its own.

Ingredients for sweet and sour sauce on the white table.

How to make sweet and sour chicken balls

You'll need 4 simple steps to make:

  1. First marinate the chicken dices.
  2. Coat the marinated chicken pieces with constarch and batter.
  3. Double fry until crispy golden brown.
  4. Make the sweet and tangy dipping sauce.

Chicken Marinade

Marinating is the most important part that you can't skip. Simply season with salt, white pepper, sesame oil, sugar, baking soda, garlic paste, and cornstarch.

Mix it well with your hands and let it sit and marinate for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. Adding a pinch of baking soda and cornstarch is a secret of Chinese cooking that keeps the meat moist and tender when you fry with high heat.

Batter for Chicken Balls

This recipe is adapted from our friend, a Chinese chef. Authentic Chinese restaurant chicken cubes are coated with quite a lot of batter and fluffy. But I prefer my homemade recipe with less batter, so ours is a bit lighter and crisper coating texture.

To make the batter mix, you will need plain flour ( all-purpose flour ), corn starch, salt, baking soda, and water. Adding baking soda to the mixture creates a puffy, crispy texture. Plain flour and corn starch together make the perfect golden colour.

Three image collage showing how to batter the chicken.

Deep Frying

Deep frying is the best method to achieve crispy, airy, perfectly golden chicken balls. Highly recommend deep fry instead of shallow fry or air-fry.

Why double fry? Double frying is crucial to create a crispy batter and juicy chicken meat inside. The coating will stay crispy for hours, less greasy, and airy.

Temperature for frying? You need to fry with high heat between 340-350'F, you can check with a food thermometer or wooden chopstick. If the oil bubbles are sizzling steadily, it's ready to fry. Or add a splash of batter in the hot oil, if the batters float and sizzle straightaways, it's ready to fry.

four image collage showing how to fry chicken balls.

Which oil to use? Vegetable oil or other neutral flavour oil like canola, grapeseed, sunflower oil is best for deep frying for this recipe.

Can you resue the fried oil? We reuse the fried oil by clearing out the crumbs with a mesh strainer once it cools down. Keep in air-tight containers or jars and use in other stir fry dishes or curries.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Sweet and sour sauce is an ideal dipping sauce to serve with Chinese chicken balls. It's so easy to make at home and tastes just like the sauce you've had at a Chinese restaurant. You can serve the sauce and fried chicken separately or tossed the fried chicken with the sauce and coat them with the sauce completely and serve.

Combine all the ketchup, tomato puree, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, water, and salt in a small saucepan and simmer with low heat until slightly thick. Or you can adjust to your desire consistency by adding more or less water.

Two image collage showing how to make sweet and sour sauce.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories are in Chinese sweet and sour chicken balls?

368 kcal for 1 serving. This is an approximate amount, nutritional facts can be slightly different.

What is Chinese batter?

Chinese batter is usually made of plain flour, cornstarch, baking soda and water. Can be seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can make battered chicken, prawns, or pork with this recipe.

Can you freeze or reheat?

I do not recommend freezing or reheat the double-fried chicken balls as reheating can change the texture and crispiness. You can freeze single-fried ones, fry them for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden. Let them cool down, and store in air-tight bags or containers. To reheat, deep fry or air fry them from frozen until crispy golden brown for 2-3 minutes just before serving. 

wooden chopstick holding the chicken balls is dipping in the sauce.

Watch How To Make It Recipe Video

What to serve with this dish

You can serve this dish on its own with sweet and sour sauce, or a choice of dipping sauce. We love to have with sweet chilli sauce and Thai Sariracha sauce too. Or you can pair it with other Chinese dishes and make it a perfect fakeaway dinner! Here is a handful of our favourite classic Chinese recipes you might like to try out:

  • prawns spring rolls on the white plate and dipping sauce in the background
    Prawn Spring Rolls
  • A black bowl full of Chinese style chicken and corn soup, topped with spring onion in the foreground and a small wooden bowl of white rice in the background.
    Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup
  • a grey color bowl filled with full of fried rice on the grey colour tea towel.
    Prawn Fried Rice
  • A white plate filled with beijing style crispy beef
    Beijing Beef Recipe

We are on social media Facebook, Instagram, YouTube ( New recipe video every week ) and Pinterest ( Pin your favourite recipes ). If you've tried this recipe, please share your comment or post on social media and tag me. I would love to see your creations and feedback.

📖 Recipe

A grey bowl containing deep fried chicken balls.

Chicken Balls with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Restaurant-style Fried Chinese Chicken Balls with Sweet and Sauce recipe. Made with simple cupboard-friendly ingredients. Perfect as an appetizer or party snack!
4.96 from 69 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Marinate Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 5
Calories: 368kcal
Author: Khin

Ingredients

  • 500 g Chicken breast About 18 oz ( Boneless skinless chicken breast ) Cut in 1" cubes.
  • ½ cup Corn starch
  • Vegetable oil for deep frying Or canola, sunflower, grapeseed oil, or any neutral flavour oil

Chicken Marinade

  • 2 tsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ¼ tsp White pepper
  • 1 tsp Sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp Garlic paste ( Finely grated garlic ) Or 1tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp Cornstarch

Batter

  • 1 cup Plain flour Or all purpose flour
  • ½ cup Cornstarch Or potato starch
  • 1 tsp Baking soda Or Bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 cup Water Add more water if needed

Dipping Sauce

  • 4 tbsp Ketchup
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Puree Or tomato concentrate
  • 4 tbsp White vinegar
  • 3 tbsp Sugar
  • ½ cup Water
  • 1 tsp Cornstarch
  • ½ tsp Salt

Instructions

Marinade the chicken

  • Cut the chicken breast into 1" dices. Place them in a large mixing bowl and add all the seasoning ingredients, salt, sugar, white pepper, sesame oil, garlic paste, corn starch, and baking soda. Mix well, set aside, and marinate for 15-30 minutes. ( If you have more time you can leave it for 1 hour. )

Make Sweet and Sour Sauce

  • In a small saucepan, combine all the sweet and sour sauce ingredients, ketchup, vinegar, sugar, tomato puree, water, corn starch and salt. Mix well until corn starch dissolved, then turn on the heat to low-medium. Stir continuously until the sauce is thicken to desire consistency. Turn off the heat and let it cool down.

Batter and Frying

  • Combine plain flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Pour the cold water in, whisk well and make it into smooth batter. ( The batter should be medium thick. Add more water if needed. )
  • Add ½ cup of corn starch in the chicken marinade, coat each chicken piece with the corn starch. Then dip into the batter and turn to coat evenly.
  • Fry the battered chicken pieces with pre-heated high heat oil for 2-3 minutes until light brown. ( about 350° F/ 180° C ) Remove from oil and set aside for 4-5 minutes. Repeat the process to remaining chicken pieces.
  • Then reheat the oil back to 350° F/ 180° C , fry the chicken 2nd time for 2-3 minutes until crispy golden brown. Remove from oil and transfer to cooling rack or paper towel.

Notes

Frying Tips
  • Do not overcrowd the oil because overcrowding can drop down the oil temperature and the chicken balls can get greasy. Fry with batches if needed. 
  • After frying each batch, clear the oil with a mesh strainer to prevent the oil get burnt and cloudy. 
Baking Or Air Frying Option
  • Deep frying creates the best result however if you wish to bake or air fry the chicken balls, shallow fry them with less oil until light brown then bakes in a pre-heated oven or air-fryer until crispy golden brown. 
Can you make it ahead?
  • You can prep everything ahead and single fry the chicken balls for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden. Let them cool down, and store them in the fridge. Deep fry until crispy golden brown for 2-3 minutes until golden brown just before serving. 
Tips and storage for dipping sauce 
  • You can make an extra sauce and store it in an air-tight container for later use with other recipes like spring rolls or wontons. 
  • The level of sweetness or sourness can be adjusted by adding more or less sugar and white vinegar. 

Nutrition

Calories: 368kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 1492mg | Potassium: 462mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 108IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @KhinsKitchen or tag #KhinsKitchen!

« Easy Beef Chow Mein
Beef In Oyster Sauce »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. laurie says

    March 29, 2025 at 10:02 pm

    4 stars
    Luv this recipe. We have this at least 3x a month and son has learned to make them as well.

    Reply
  2. Lisa says

    November 25, 2024 at 12:07 pm

    5 stars
    amazing

    Reply
  3. Mary B. says

    October 06, 2024 at 12:26 am

    4 stars
    Nice recipe. Chicken turned out really good. Unfortunately the sauce was somewhat bitter and not particularly sweet or sour. I used tomato paste today and when making this recipe again I will certainly try using tomato sauce instead.

    Reply
  4. Michelle says

    May 17, 2024 at 1:24 pm

    made this for my family of 7 rather than spending a fortune from takeaway when we fancy a treat! easy recipe to follow and doesn't take long.
    massive hit in my house so will continue it from now on😁 my kids say its better than proper Chinese from the takeaway

    Reply
  5. Arlene says

    May 11, 2024 at 4:04 am

    5 stars
    Wow!! The nuggets have the best flavor and crunch! I won’t order them from the Chinese restaurant anymore, it costs about $14 for this.. Highly recommend this recipe, I’ve made this a few times already because my family always asks for it. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Khin says

      May 14, 2024 at 8:30 am

      Thanks, Arlene. So glad that you enjoyed this recipe.

      Reply
  6. Arlene says

    April 11, 2024 at 10:20 pm

    5 stars
    Wow amazing recipe!! I didn’t make the sweet and sour sauce, I just wanted some nuggets. The recipe was easy to follow, a bit time consuming because of the double fry but it’s definitely worth it.. my whole family said it was the best and they wanted more.. thank you

    Reply
  7. Angela Pan says

    March 17, 2024 at 12:00 am

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe, l have made it twice, my family loves it. I double the sauce which is so easy. Thank you for such a good recipe!

    Reply
    • Khin says

      March 23, 2024 at 9:33 pm

      Happy that you enjoyed it Angela. Thanks for sharing your feedback.

      Reply
  8. lol o says

    February 27, 2024 at 2:09 pm

    5 stars
    So good! The flavour of the batter was great and the consistency was perfect - light and fluffy.

    Reply
    • Khin says

      February 27, 2024 at 2:47 pm

      Thanks for sharing your feedback. Glad that you enjoyed it.

      Reply
  9. Watford Tony says

    July 22, 2023 at 4:14 pm

    5 stars
    Wonderful dish, will be a regular in our kitchen from now!

    Reply
    • Khin says

      July 26, 2023 at 6:16 pm

      Glad that you enjoyed it, Watford. Thanks for trying it out and sharing your feedback.

      Reply
  10. Janet says

    July 19, 2023 at 4:02 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! My go to recipe!

    Reply
  11. Frankie says

    May 13, 2023 at 8:14 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe..

    Reply
  12. Alaina says

    May 04, 2023 at 10:45 pm

    5 stars
    Just made this for dinner for a family of 4. Really good! Chicken was cooked perfectly, batter crispy, sauce more tangy than sweet which we like best. Only thing I would change is to double the sauce recipe, as we needed a lot more. Adding this one to the roster 🙂 thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Khin says

      May 05, 2023 at 10:43 pm

      Very happy that you enjoyed this recipe, Alaina. Thanks for trying it out and sharing your feedback.

      Reply
  13. April says

    April 23, 2023 at 2:04 am

    5 stars
    Amazing Chicken Balls
    I have made them a few times now and the entire family loves them.
    The sauce is good but not the Chinese restaurant sauce in my area.
    I have found a sauce that is more like the sauce we are used to. If you look for one without ketchup.
    Thank you for the recipe

    Reply
  14. Pepe McQueen says

    February 26, 2023 at 3:46 pm

    delicious and easy to make.

    Reply
« Older Comments
4.96 from 69 votes (46 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar


Image of Khinskitchen

Hi, I'm Khin! This blog is all about my family home cooking recipes. I want to share how to make delicious meals from simplest method with step-by-step cooking videos.

More about me →

Popular Posts

  • Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style
  • A white bowl containing pasta and chicken with tomatoes sauce and sprinkle with cheese and parsley.
    Spicy Chicken Pasta
  • crispy salt and chilli chicken
    Crispy Salt and Chilli Chicken
  • A white bowl containing stir fried noodles, stir fried vegetables and king prawns on the white tea towel.
    King Prawn Chow Mein
  • crispy shredded chicken
    Crispy Shredded Chicken
  • sweet chilli beef
    Crispy Chilli Beef (with Sweet Chilli)

Asian Take-out

  • a plate full of chinese chicken curry and white rice with wooden spoon at the side.
    Chinese Chicken Curry
  • crispy shredded beef
    Crispy Shredded Beef Recipe
  • A plate filled with salt and pepper chips with small bowl of crushed chilli and spring onions to garnish.
    Chinese Salt and Pepper Chips
  • Salt and pepper chicken
    Salt and Pepper Chicken
  • A white bowl containing, Chinese fried rice with eggs, Char siu, prawns, peas, carrots, spring onions.
    Special Fried Rice
  • A white bowl containing, crispy coated chicken with dried chillies and spring onions.
    Mongolian Chicken
  • A grey plate containing spicy fried chips topped with sliced chilli and coriander.
    Masala Chips
  • A white plate containing, spicy fried chicken strips, topped with spring onion and sliced chillies.
    Crispy Honey Chilli Chicken

Recent Recipes

  • A white plate containing Chinese-style whole steamed fish with ginger, chilli, and scallions.
    Easy Chinese Steamed Fish
  • spicy chicken stir fry topped with plain rice with wooden cutlery on the side and lime wedges and sesame seeds to garnish at the side.
    Firecracker Chicken
  • A white bowl containing chow mein with chicken.
    Chicken Chow Mein Recipe
  • A clear glass jar containing glossy sweet chilli sauce.
    Sweet Chilli Sauce

Footer

↑ back to top

  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

  • Sign Up! for recipe newsletter

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 TRENDY MEDIA CREATION LTD

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.