Hello! Hi everyone, Wesley here. Today we’re diving back into our series dedicated to classic Americanized Chinese cuisine with a look at the Sweet Fire Chicken from Panda Express. For those new to the channel, in this series, we have been deconstructing classic dishes from Americanized Chinese cuisine (including a growing list of dishes from the Panda Express menu now), then seeing what they might look like when reconstructed through the lens of more traditional wok cooking. For those not familiar, the Panda Express Sweet Fire Chicken at first glance is pretty much what you might expect from a Panda Express fried chicken dish, featuring a battered and fried diced chicken, red bell pepper, onion, and finally one of my very favorites, canned pineapple.
The inclusion of pineapple of course being an homage to one of the most classic Chinese American dishes of all time which is Sweet and Sour Chicken, wherein the syrup that the pineapple is canned in is used to create the dish’s signature sweet and savory glaze. So! For our version today we’ll be borrowing a bit from the sweet and sour chicken recipe that we assembled a few months back, though we will need to make some key adjustments for our Sweet Fire Chicken here as we do our very, very best to recreate the light, bright color that appears to be key to this dish (this of course has always been tricky, because most elements that we derive umami from like soy sauce, for example, will almost certainly be working against us in this endevour). Hope you try it. [**Follow the full video on youtube**](https://youtu.be/tw0YTVncxAs) for the whole story too!
**Woo Can Cook** is a series where we reproduce fun foods and recipes from my childhood. Some of them are authentically Chinese and/or pan-Asian, but a lot of them are odd Americanized versions that I inherited from my parents and grandparents while growing up in the Bay Area/California.
**Homebase** (Recipes, Livestream Schedule, Music and more): [Woo Can Cook](https://WooCanCook.com)
* 4 cloves garlic * 1 inch (about 1 tbsp) fine minced ginger * 1 red bell pepper * 1/2 medium white onion * 4oz canned pineapple * 2 medium chicken thighs, or 1 breast * 1/2 cup potato starch * 64oz fryer oil * peanut oil * gochugaru
* CRUSH and mince the garlic, set aside * FINE MINCE the ginger, set aside * LARGE DICE the onion, set aside * LARGE DICE the bell pepper, set aside * LARGE DICE the pineapple, set aside * COMBINE all sauce ingredients, set aside * LARGE DICE the chicken thighs, then combine with all marinade ingredients and marinate for 15 minutes * COMBINE the chicken with the potato starch, set aside
**ON THE STOVE**
* HEAT the fryer to 350F, then fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and set aside * REMOVE the fryer oil, then reheat the wok over high heat, add 4 tbsp peanut oil and long yao * ADD the garlic and ginger, then saute for 15 seconds until fragrant * ADD the bell pepper and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes * ADD the pineapple and toss to combine, then remove from the wok * REDUCE the heat to medium low, then add the sauce and let simmer for 3-5 minutes until thickened * ADD the chicken and veggies back to the wok and toss to combine * SERVE over rice and finish with gochugaru
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Hello! Hi everyone, Wesley here. Today we’re diving back into our series dedicated to classic Americanized Chinese cuisine with a look at the Sweet Fire Chicken from Panda Express. For those new to the channel, in this series, we have been deconstructing classic dishes from Americanized Chinese cuisine (including a growing list of dishes from the Panda Express menu now), then seeing what they might look like when reconstructed through the lens of more traditional wok cooking. For those not familiar, the Panda Express Sweet Fire Chicken at first glance is pretty much what you might expect from a Panda Express fried chicken dish, featuring a battered and fried diced chicken, red bell pepper, onion, and finally one of my very favorites, canned pineapple.
The inclusion of pineapple of course being an homage to one of the most classic Chinese American dishes of all time which is Sweet and Sour Chicken, wherein the syrup that the pineapple is canned in is used to create the dish’s signature sweet and savory glaze. So! For our version today we’ll be borrowing a bit from the sweet and sour chicken recipe that we assembled a few months back, though we will need to make some key adjustments for our Sweet Fire Chicken here as we do our very, very best to recreate the light, bright color that appears to be key to this dish (this of course has always been tricky, because most elements that we derive umami from like soy sauce, for example, will almost certainly be working against us in this endevour). Hope you try it. [**Follow the full video on youtube**](https://youtu.be/tw0YTVncxAs) for the whole story too!
**Woo Can Cook** is a series where we reproduce fun foods and recipes from my childhood. Some of them are authentically Chinese and/or pan-Asian, but a lot of them are odd Americanized versions that I inherited from my parents and grandparents while growing up in the Bay Area/California.
**Homebase** (Recipes, Livestream Schedule, Music and more): [Woo Can Cook](https://WooCanCook.com)
**Recipes**: [Woo Can Cook (Youtube)](https://youtube.com/woocancook?sub_confirmation=1)
**Music**: [Woo Cooks Beats (Lofi Beats to Cook to)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9McCfCIkWtc&list=PL72dM3fKnbHupDC0cIOHxaHBvjZLY3TdT&index=13)
**Woo Can Cook Fried Rice Pop Up (Every Thurs-Sun @ Wondrous Brewing!)**: [https://WooCanCook.com/eats](https://WooCanCook.com/eats)
**TikTok** (short recipes and Woo Cooks Beats): [Woo Can Cook](https://www.tiktok.com/@woocancook)
**Instagram** (pop-up schedule, music, and random Taki cameos): [@woocancook](https://instagram.com/WooCanCook)
**RECIPE** [https://woocancook.com/sweetfire-chicken](https://woocancook.com/sweetfire-chicken)
**INGREDIENTS**
* 4 cloves garlic
* 1 inch (about 1 tbsp) fine minced ginger
* 1 red bell pepper
* 1/2 medium white onion
* 4oz canned pineapple
* 2 medium chicken thighs, or 1 breast
* 1/2 cup potato starch
* 64oz fryer oil
* peanut oil
* gochugaru
**INGREDIENTS (sauce)**
* 4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)
* 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
* 2 tbsp rice vinegar
* 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
* 1/4 cup pineapple syrup
* 1 tbsp oyster sauce
**INGREDIENTS (marinade)**
* 4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)
* 1/2 tsp white pepper
* 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
**PREP**
* CRUSH and mince the garlic, set aside
* FINE MINCE the ginger, set aside
* LARGE DICE the onion, set aside
* LARGE DICE the bell pepper, set aside
* LARGE DICE the pineapple, set aside
* COMBINE all sauce ingredients, set aside
* LARGE DICE the chicken thighs, then combine with all marinade ingredients and marinate for 15 minutes
* COMBINE the chicken with the potato starch, set aside
**ON THE STOVE**
* HEAT the fryer to 350F, then fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and set aside
* REMOVE the fryer oil, then reheat the wok over high heat, add 4 tbsp peanut oil and long yao
* ADD the garlic and ginger, then saute for 15 seconds until fragrant
* ADD the bell pepper and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes
* ADD the pineapple and toss to combine, then remove from the wok
* REDUCE the heat to medium low, then add the sauce and let simmer for 3-5 minutes until thickened
* ADD the chicken and veggies back to the wok and toss to combine
* SERVE over rice and finish with gochugaru