Crisp Peruvian-Chinese chicken coated in a glossy sweet-and-sour tamarind sauce with pineapple, peach, bell pepper, snow peas, and onion. The crust keeps enough bite to survive the glaze while the fruit and vegetables keep the dish lively. It is the kind of chifa sweet-and-sour that feels festive the moment it hits the wok.
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Cut the chicken breast into medium bite-sized pieces and pat it dry. Toss it with the chopped garlic, grated ginger, about two-thirds of the soy sauce, the salt, and white pepper. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the red onion, red bell pepper, snow peas, and pineapple into similarly sized pieces, drain the canned peaches, and chop the scallions.
Place the tamarind in a saucepan with most of the water and simmer for 5 minutes. Mash it with a spoon to release the pulp, then press it through a fine strainer and discard the seeds and fibers. Return the liquid to the saucepan and stir in the sugar, ketchup, rice vinegar, and remaining soy sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes and set aside; it should taste distinctly sweet and tart, still slightly loose before thickening.
Add most of the cornstarch to the marinated chicken and toss until every piece has a thin coating and the surface no longer looks wet. Heat almost all of the vegetable oil in the wok and fry the chicken in batches for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden, crisp, and fully cooked; if using a thermometer, the center should reach 74°C. Remove with a skimmer and drain on paper towels.
Pour off the oil from the wok, leaving only a thin film, and add the remaining vegetable oil if needed. Stir-fry the red onion, red bell pepper, and snow peas over high heat for 2 minutes, until glossy but still firm. Add the pineapple and peaches and stir-fry for another 30 seconds, just long enough to heat them without breaking them down.
Pour the tamarind sauce into the wok and bring it to a boil. Dissolve the remaining cornstarch in the remaining water, stream it in, and cook for 30 to 60 seconds, until the sauce turns glossy and thick enough to coat the spatula. Return the chicken and toss for only 30 to 45 seconds, just long enough to glaze it without overly softening the crust. Turn off the heat and finish with the scallions. And that is it! The chicken should still have crunch, the fruit should stay juicy, the vegetables should retain bite, and the tamarind sauce should hit sweet, sour, and savory in the same mouthful. 🔥
