You Shouldn't Order Sweet And Sour Chicken At A Chinese Restaurant. Here's Why

Sweet and sour chicken is definitely a favorite dish when it comes to ordering Chinese take-out or ordering it up at a sit-down restaurant. And how could it not be? Breaded and fried chicken pieces swimming in a sweet and savory sauce sounds pretty awesome to the taste buds. But the sweet and sour sauce of modern America that is used in this dish is very different than that which you would find in China, according to Chowhound contributor Kristine Wen. There is quite a bit of lamenting to be had over the difference between the two. 

The American version, which is the most popular version of this sauce, is generally a mixture of sugar, ketchup, vinegar, and soy sauce while the authentic Chinese version is more likely a combination of just two ingredients: sugar and vinegar. The writer went on to note that the genesis of sweet and sour sauce – the orange, sweet, salty, and syrupy sauce – is really an American story. Perhaps the changes American culture has made to sweet and sour chicken are also the reason why you should resist ordering it at a Chinese restaurant. 

If you are perusing your local Chinese restaurant's menu and find yourself contemplating an order of sweet and sour chicken, think again. Sweet and sour chicken is dripping with calories. The meal you would get at a restaurant weighs approximately 706 grams and contains a whopping 89.3 grams of fat, according to Livestrong. It also contains 1,765 calories. if not more. But calories and fat content are not the only reasons you should shy away from this dish.

Sweet and sour chicken is also filled with sugar. Eat This Much says a serving at a restaurant (the full meal) will deliver 81 grams of sugar. The American Heart Association recommends that men should limit their sugar intake to 9 teaspoons, roughly 36 grams, per day, and women should have no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar, or 25 grams, per day. That one meal packs about 324 percent of the daily allowance for a woman and 225 percent for a man. So the next time you have a hankering for Chinese food, skip the sweet and sour chicken. Your body will thank you.