A copycat recipe of “Tori Kurozu-An” from Ootoya 大戸屋, this Japanese-style Sweet and Sour Chicken uses black rice vinegar in the sauce to create a deep, malty savory flavor.
Sweet and sour dishes from Chinese restaurants are really popular and my children love them whether it’s made with chicken or pork. This Sweet and Sour Chicken however is a little bit different from the typical one you’ve tried. Why?
Watch How To Make Ootoya’s Sweet and Sour Chicken (Tori Kurozu-An) 大戸屋「鶏と野菜の黒酢あん」の作り方
This savory and delicious fried chicken and vegetables with sweet black vinegar sauce is a copycat recipe of “Tori Kurozu-An” from Ootoya 大戸屋 restaurant.
Japanese Sweet and Sour Chicken
First of all, this sweet and sour chicken is a Japanese style. Did you notice there are several kinds of vegetables in the sweet and sour chicken? This is a copycat recipe from a popular Japanese diner – Ootoya (大戸屋) which specializes in Japanese home-cooking dishes (Katei Ryori 家庭料理). Some of you may be familiar with this restaurant as there are many Ootoya restaurants both in Japan and outside of Japan, including Singapore, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and also two locations in NYC.
In Japan, we refer to sweet and sour sauce as Amazu-An (甘酢あん), literary meaning sweet vinegar gravy. On Ootoya’s menu, this recipe is called Tori Kurozu-An (鶏と野菜の黒酢あん), using black rice vinegar (黒酢, Kurozu) in the sweet and sour sauce. Black rice vinegar is an aged vinegar made from rice and it is less sour and has deeper flavor compared to regular rice vinegar. Also, their version of sweet and sour sauce omits ketchup so you don’t see the typical red color in the sauce.
This sweet and sour chicken has been my favorite from Ootoya’s menu since I tried this dish for the first time years and years ago. When I was in Japan last summer, I shared a picture of this dish while dining there on Instagram. @alisasakura from Australia left a comment on my picture saying that Ootoya actually sells pre-made package of this special Kurozu-An sauce. So the next time I passed by the restaurant, I bought two packages to try at home (thank you again, @alisasakura!).
Packaged vs. Homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken
After coming back to the US, I made this dish at home with the packaged sauce and tried to recreate this flavor. While testing my own recipe, I found out Ootoya actually shares the recipe for this dish online! So I made 3 batches for taste test:
- Recipe made with Ootoya’s package sauce
- Follow Ootoya’s recipe to make the sauce
- My version of Ootoya’s sauce
Our family had serious tasting session for this recipe and one sauce won everyone’s votes for best flavor. It was actually mine! My version was not that different from the original sauce, but in my humble opinion, I think mine has better balance than the packaged one or the Ootoya’s recipe. However, I still think the restaurant serves the best Tori Kurozu-An, but for home cooking, my family agrees that my recipe below was the best. I wrote down the exact measurements I used so please try to be accurate for the best result.
Before sharing the video and recipe, I want to quickly mention about a Japanese cooking technique called Suage (素揚げ, Su-Ah-geh). It means deep frying without a coating of flour or batter. This technique is used mostly for vegetables (but sometimes meat too). By deep frying vegetables for a short period of time, you can keep the crispness of the vegetable. Stir frying vegetables takes longer and sometimes the vegetables are cooked unevenly or tend to be wilted and soft. Suage technique helps the ingredient keep its original flavor, color, and shape.
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- 2 chicken thighs (2 thighs = 300 g or 11 oz)
- 3 potatoes
- 3 lotus root (renkon) (3 lotus root = 8 cm)
- ½ carrot
- 1 Japanese/Chinese eggplant
- ½ onion
- ½ green pepper
- ½ cup potato/corn starch
- 3 cups neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc) (for deep frying)
- 4 Tbspsugar sugar
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp black vinegar (See Notes)
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 2 tsp potato/corn starch
Gather all the ingredients.
- Make the marinade. Grate the ginger and garlic. Combine the ginger, garlic, soy sauce and sake in a large bowl.
- Trim off and discard any excess fat from the chicken, then cut the meat into bite size pieces and add them to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 10 min.
- Combine all the ingredients for Black Vinegar Sauce and mix well together.
- Cut the potato in half and carrot into small pieces. For carrot, I use “rangiri” cutting technique to create more surface space so that they will cook faster and look pretty.
- Potatoes and carrots take too long to deep fry; therefore we boil them first for 10 minutes until they are tender. Drain and set aside.
- Cut the lotus root to 1/8” slices and eggplant into ½” slices.
- Cut onion and green peppers in wedges and cut half in length-wise.
- In a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, add 3 cups of oil (adjust the amount of oil depend on the size of your deep fryer. You will need at least 2 inches of oil in the pot.). Preheat the oil to 340F (170C). Using paper towel, pat dry the vegetables before you add them into the oil. Deep fry until they’re tender. Be careful not to over/under cook. When they’re done, drain the oil on a wire rack or paper towel.
- Next, coat the chicken in potato starch and deep fry at 340F (170C) for 5 minutes or until golden brown. If the chicken is being browned too quickly, adjust the heat and make sure the chicken is cooked through. Drain the oil well on a wire rack or paper towel.
- When the chicken is done deep frying, heat the wok and toss the deep fried vegetables and chicken together. When they are re-heated evenly, pour the Black Vinegar Sauce over the chicken and vegetables, toss and combine. Transfer to a plate and serve.
Black vinegar: If you use Chinese black vinegar, please cut down the amount to half of original recipe (should be 1/2 Tbsp) as Chinese black vinegar has stronger flavor.
Recipe slightly adapted from Ootoya Tori Kurozu-An recipe.
Are you new to deep frying? Read a post about How To Deep Fry here.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
I’ve yet to try to cook lotus root so I’m saving this recipe and will give it a try when I get some of this very pretty root vegetable. I’m pretty sure I have all the other ingredients. 🙂
I honestly love the mix of fried chicken with veggies. Sweet and sour sauce is a plus! Have a fun weekend, Nami!
Gourmet Getaways
Looks super delicious! Though I have no idea where to find such thing as lotus root 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I’ve always kept and used black vinegar in my pantry, but never quite knew the technical difference between black vinegar and the regular stuff until reading your explanation. In other news, I made your kakuni recipe for a recent potluck, and the dish was a major hit!! =)
Hi Kimmi! I always carried Chinese black vinegar but never actually used Japanese black vinegar till this recipe! I’m so happy to hear everyone enjoyed the kakuni recipe! Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂
Wow, this is really different from the typical Asian sweet and sour dishes. The addition of lotus roots, eggplant, and potatoes make it more interesting. I would definitely try this recipe. Thank you, Nami.
Suage sounds like a really interesting technique — kind of like blanching, but the hot fat thoroughly cooks the food. Really interesting! As is this recipe — I can never have enough chicken recipes, and this looks particularly flavorful. Thanks!
Oh, that looks ever so scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Suddenly, I have the most incredible craving for sweet and sour chicken and yours/this Japanese version looks amazing! I love a good kitchen experiment/taste-test – so much fun! I am not at all surprised your family preferred your version! Thank you for keeping track and writing down your proportions for us!
Nommm… My husband loves sweet and sour chicken! I have a bottle of chinese black vinegar at home. I love your version with all the vegetables! Now, I just need a bowl of rice. 🙂
I just love sweet and sour dishes but I don’t cook them often because my husband is not a fan. I do love black vinegar – it’s a great ingredients. Your sweet and sour chicken dish looks very pretty, Nami, with all the colours and the lotus roots xx
I’ve had this dish in Japanese restaurants and noticed the difference of the ‘sweet-sour’ flavors compared to Chinese or our own Filipino versions. I find your version quite appealing. Your video and detailed photos make it so easy to do. Love your accessories, too, esp. the chopstick holder. Thanks for sharing and happy weekend, Nami.
Love lotus root and this stir fry is making me salivate!!
Hi Nami, I’ve never tried Japanese sweet and sour pork before, but I have to say it looks really delicious! I love all the different veggies you added to it.
hi nami! what a beautiful dish! the lotus root is especially striking, maybe because i am not used to lotus root. this looks like something my family would love.
Nami, your sweet and sour chicken looks extremely scrumptious, and very interesting with the lovely lotus fruit! You right Stir frying vegetables leaves them unevenly cooked, and we both prefer crispy vegetables ala nature. Thank you for explaining the 素揚げ technique 🙂
J+C
I always learn something new each time I visit your site, Nami. Like suage 🙂 And I totally love the mix of fried chicken with veggies. Very colorful and flavorful.
It’s good you are trying to come out with the best from a recipe. This is my goal too.. I always try to get the best whenever I post a recipe, making sure I choose the best ingredients and the right quantities.
Wow! It sounds like you and your family have had lots of fun tasting these three options. No wonder your own version won! I must tell you I have always hated sweet and sour dishes in Chinese (or rather pseudo-Chinese) restaurants (always wondered why so many people ordered these super-sweet dishes in heavy flour-thickened sauces…), but then I made a recipe from a Chinese cookery book… and discovered it was delicious! Since then I look at sweet and sour dishes with a big appetite! Your Japanese-style chicken sounds fabulous. I hope I’ll be able to visit a restaurant of this chain too.
This chicken looks so flavorful and delicious! I wish I had some right now!
I wish I could get that ready made package here so that I could try out and see how the flavors taste. Later on I would attempt a from scratch recipe because at least I would know what the end product tastes like. We always enjoy sweet and sour so I think it would be soon a favorite.
Your chicken looks so tender and perfect – delicious colour and I bet the lotus root was a great addition 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thats ok! 🙂 Glad I could help! 😉
I’m so so so excited to make this! I’m going to show my mum and we will try and make it! I’ll make sure I take a picture once I do!
Do Japanese supermarkets/stores in the states have Japanese black vinegar? I’m not sure if I’ve seen it here in Australia before.
Hi Alisa Sakura! Thank you for stopping by! Without your tip on the sauce, this post probably didn’t exist. 😉
Yes, Japanese supermarkets carry black vinegar. Not many kinds though, just 1-3 kinds, but the cost is about $8-10 I think… I got mine in Japan (in case I couldn’t find in the US) but it was also around $10. It’s Japanese black vinegar, so you won’t find it unless in a Japanese grocery store…it’s not a condiment we use all the time, so some Japanese supermarkets may not even carry it. :/
I love the Japanese version of sweet and sour chicken! It appears in Chinese recipes too, but actually we cannot find it in China. We only have sweet and sour pork in local restaurant. In Japan, I love to choose the cut of chicken thigh and cook this one. So delicious!
Congratulations for figuring out the perfect sauce! I need to remember this. By the way, I found the color of the black vinegar you mentioned here is slightly different from the Chinese one. The Chinkiang Vinegar is a bit too healthy when cooking sweet and sour chicken or seafood. I will try to find the Japanese black vinegar and try out next time. 🙂
Very curious to try your sweet and sour chicken version. And I am hardly surprised your sauce won out at home. Looks wonderful. I am also a fan of lotus root so cool to see it here. Will have to give this cooking technique called suage at try.
Nami, nothing beats a comfort meal like this.
If you ever need any help with those tasting sessions, let me know 😉 This dish looks so savory and wonderful and I love all the veggies!
I’ve never tried Japanese black vinegar – the sauce sounds so good on this Nami!
This sweet and sour chicken looks mouthwatering, Nami! I love all those root vegetables, I definitely can’t wait to try this version. It look perfect for fall 🙂 Pinning!
ずるい！あまりおなかがすいておりませんでしたがこのポストの写真、なみさんの叙述を読んでからもペコペコです。（笑）とにかくやり方／レシピどうもありがとう。
lovin the tangy, fruity and bursting flavour of sweet and sour chicken,
her in Indonesia we used to made sweet and sour with ketchup,
always made it from scratch, my mom even used to pureed the cherry tomato instead using any ketchup
You know what I like the most about this sweet and sour chicken? The unique vegetables! One doesn’t normally see sweet and sour with eggplant and potatoes, but I love the idea! I’ve never cooked with lotus root but I have had it and know where to find it. A great dish with lots of different flavors and textures!
I doubt that I will find lotus root around here so will have to substitute something else or just omit this. My kids would like this so I’ll have to give it a trial run before they come home for the holidays.
I have been trying to figure this recipe out for YEARS…ever since having it at Ootoyo… I’m so glad I stumbled upon your website!!!! I am curious about your Black Vinegar though… I haven’t seen the Japanese stuff anywhere… could you recommend a brand to buy online? THANKS NAMI!!!
Hi Gary! I’m happy to hear your found my blog. 🙂 I’m not sure where you live but Japanese supermarkets carry 1-2 kinds of black vinegar. Here’s one from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FQNWBS/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1417319245&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SY200_QL40
You can use a Chinese black vinegar but they tend to be stronger so you need to adjust the amount. 🙂
Hi Nami, haven’t visited your website for a while. Been busy and was wondering what simple dishes I can cook, and thought of you 🙂
This Chicken sure looks delicious, and will try it when I have more time. Too much happening at this time of the year! Anyway, not too early to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas! :)))
Hi Fern! You are too kind! Thank you so much for stopping by! Yeah too many things are going on at the same time around this time. I can’t believe this year is ending! I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday! Thinking of you and your delicious food… 🙂
While living in Japan for several years this Ootoya dish quickly became our favorite family comfort food. You have no idea how happy I am to have stumbled upon your site! I can’t wait to make this as a surprise for my family. Oishii!
Hi Amanda! I hope you enjoy this recipe! I’m in Japan now and I am trying to go to Ootoya to enjoy this dish one of these days…. 😀 Hope you can find your favorite Japanese recipes on my site. 🙂 Welcome to my blog!
Great recipe! I made it yesterday and it is so far the best sweet-sour sauce I have ever tried 🙂 What I didn’t like that much are the deep-fried vegetables. It is impossible to make them crispy without batter, so in the end they all turned out mushy and soft. Next time I will stir fry-them for a short time separtly so that they stay a little bit crunchy 🙂
Wonderful recipe, thanks for sharing Nami!
Hi Alina! I hear you, I had to cook the same way Ootoya restaurant cooks so that I can say it’s the “copycat” recipe from Ootoya, Please feel free to adapt as you like! Glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback, Alina!
Ever since I had the appetizer portion at Ootoya in Chelsea, I’ve been hooked! I had two friends over for dinner and one of them had just had this dish the day before. The bar was high but it definitely turned out above our expectations! It tasted just as good and we were glad to have doubled the recipe.
The most challenging part was deep frying the vegetables; we were unclear as to how long to fry the different veggies, which needed a bit of a trial and error process. I was a bit speculative with the sauce but it thickened very well once thrown with the fried ingredients over heat. All we needed was a bowl of rice and a nice miso soup to help cleanse the palate. Thank your for posting the recipe! Cheers.
Hi Su! I’m happy that you got to try this menu at Ootoya and tried making it at home! Thanks for using my recipe. The suage (deep frying without batter) part is a bit tricky. I didn’t purposely write the cooking time as it can vary depending on the oil temperature. Even though I specify, not everyone has the thermometer and oil may not be the same temperature, and only our eyes can tell the tenderness of the vegetables after deep frying. I apologize about the little confusion and inconvenience you had. I’m glad you and your friends enjoyed this dish. It takes time to prep, deep fry and cook all together so I don’t make this often, but I kind of miss this recipe now. Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! Do you know how long the vegetables and the chicken should be deep fried until it’s cooked?
Hi Gigi! It depends on vegetables and how big you cut, but should be 1-2 minutes (root vegetables longer). Chicken is about 5 minutes at the right temperature as written in the recipe. Cooking time shouldn’t be the focus here, you need to know if each ingredient (thin, thick, soft, hard, all different texture and size affects cooking time) is tender. You need to see the actual food rather than the cooking time and this is very important. 🙂 If your oil is higher temp, don’t wait till 5 minutes because the recipe says so. You might need to adjust. 🙂 Hope this makes sense.
Hi there, I have just found your website and have made two recipes so far and they were beautiful! So your site is my now ‘go to’ for recipes! Is there a substitute I could use for the black vinegar? I love in the far north of New Zealand and we don’t have much in the way of speciality foods. Thank you so much for the fantastic recipes!
Hi Amber! I’m so sorry for my late response. I’ve been a bit busy… Thanks for finding my site, and welcome to JOC! Glad to hear you enjoyed my recipes. 🙂 You can use regular vinegar – preferably rice vinegar as it’s milder than other kinds of vinegar (and in Japanese cooking, we use rice vinegar). If you use other vinegar, reduce a bit since it’s too strong. 🙂
hi! Nami. Just cooked this tonight for dinner (sans lotus root) . Was skeptical about the apple cider vinegar at first (been using ketchup for this type of dish)…. But lo and behold, I loved the combination of flavors 🙂 No leftovers again tonight 🙂 Have been trying many recipes found over the net and there have been definitely a lot of hit and miss ones. This is definitely a hit. So much so that my sister said that we can now add it to the list of dishes worth repeating ….. Thank you so much!
Hi Gladys! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂 . I’m glad your sister liked it too. Thank you for your kind words. xo
Hi can I check with you.. if I do not want to use Apple cider vinegar, what can I substitute with ?
Hi Michelle! How about trying with rice vinegar? Maybe use 2 Tbsp, and may need to add a bit sugar as apple cider has slight sweetness to it.
This is one of my favorites from Ootoya, so I was glad to find it! I found that 10 minutes was too long for the carrots and potatoes for my preference, so I’d change that in the future. And maybe I’d sub some of the apple vinegar for more black vinegar, but that depends so much on which kinds you have around and what you like.
Hi M! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for providing your feedback! Hope next one will be just like how you would like it to be. It’s great to be able to make our favorite food from restaurants at home. 🙂 Thanks again!
Hi Nami, is there any substitute for the black vinegar?
Hi NJ! You can use other vinegar you have. 🙂