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Nutritional Information for Sweet & Sour Chicken
Last Updated: Aug 16, 2013 | By Jessica Martinez
Nutritional Information for Sweet & Sour Chicken
Orange dye is often used to give sweet and sour sauce its color. Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
The tangy, sour and salty flavor balance in sweet and sour chicken makes it a popular menu choice in Chinese restaurants. Though it does have nutritional value, this dish has some drawbacks as well. Practice portion control in restaurants, or make this dish at home so you can control the ingredients.
Definition
Traditionally, sweet and sour chicken consists of battered, deep-fried or pan-fried chunks of chicken tossed in a sauce made with vinegar, sugar, onions, bell peppers and pineapple and thickened with cornstarch. Some sauce recipes call for the use of ketchup or tomato puree. Sweet and sour chicken is commonly served with a side of white rice.
Calories
Sweet and sour chicken made with eight skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, one 8-ounce can of pineapple chunks, two green bell peppers, 1/4 cup of cornstarch, 3/4 cup of white sugar, 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar, 2 1/4 cups of self-rising flour, 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil, 1 egg and 1 quart of vegetable oil for frying makes 8 servings, each of which contains 639 total calories and 166 fat calories, according to All Recipes. A 1/2 cup serving of rice will add 103 calories.