Crispy Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls (Takeaway Style)
Golden, light-as-air battered chicken balls in glossy orange-red sauce, the British takeaway favourite made gluten free.
Made with Sweet and sour sauce. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time45
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £2.10 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Make or warm up your ready made sweet and sour sauce (see the base recipe). Cook the rice following the packet and keep it warm.
- 2
Pat the chicken dry and toss it with the extra 30 g cornflour and a pinch of salt so each piece is lightly coated.
- 3
In a bowl whisk the 60 g cornflour, rice flour and gluten free baking powder with the ice cold sparkling water until it is like double cream. Do not over mix.
- 4
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan to 180C. Use a thermometer and never leave hot oil unattended.
- 5
Dip a few chicken pieces at a time in the coating and lower them carefully into the oil. Fry for 5 to 6 minutes, turning, until crisp and golden and the chicken is white inside with no pink. Drain on kitchen paper.
6 min - 6
Fry in 3 or 4 batches and keep the cooked ones warm in a low oven.
- 7
Warm the sauce in a pan and pour it over the chicken just before serving, or serve it in a bowl for dipping, with rice.
Tips
- Ice cold sparkling water gives the lightest, crispest coating. Mix just before frying.
- Check the oil temperature between batches. Too cool and the chicken goes greasy, too hot and the coating burns before the chicken cooks.
- Saucing just before serving keeps the coating crisp. Soak it for a minute if you like it soft.
Storing and freezing
Best eaten straight away. Cool leftovers within 1 hour and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat on a tray at 200C for 12 minutes until steaming hot, though the coating will not be as crisp.
Questions
Can I bake these instead of deep frying?
Not with this coating, which needs hot oil. For a baked version, see the baked sweet and sour chicken traybake or toss the chicken in cornflour and oven roast it.
Why is my coating soggy?
Usually the oil was not hot enough, the pan was overcrowded or the sauce went on too early. Fry in small batches at 180C and sauce at the last moment.
Is it really gluten free?
Yes, with cornflour, rice flour, gluten free baking powder and a gluten free sauce. Check the label of the baking powder and the sauce ingredients such as tamari and ketchup.
More made with sweet and sour sauce
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.