Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken
Maybe it’s due to my exhaustion on weeknights or constantly running out of time, but I almost never want to spend time frying the chicken first, then cooking it with sauce. I also don’t really make alot of fried food because of extra time and for health reasons. That is why I’ve been making this healthier and lighter version of sweet and sour chicken for years, and the whole family loves it!
So if you’re feeling like you want to skip the frying step, or if you want to make sweet and sour chicken a bit healthier, this is the version for you!
I call this my take-out fake-out! It’s got all the goodness of the sweet and sour chicken that comes to your door in a little red and white paper box, but with way better ingredients, no excess oils, and higher quality chicken. Plus, this easy sauce tastes WAY better!
Next time you’re facing a hectic weeknight and the day has already bested you, don’t turn to that take-out menu on your fridge. Instead, treat yourself to the comfort dish you deserve that won’t make you feel bad afterwards! From start to finish, this recipe takes about half an hour, which is likely faster than take-out would get to your house anyways. It’s quick, easy, health-conscious, and downright delicious!
How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Make the sauce and dredge chicken. Whisk the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Combine chopped chicken with cornstarch and coat evenly.
- Sauté the chicken until golden, take it out, and sauté the veggies and take them out as well.
- Simmer the sauce in a pan until thickened.
- Add back chicken and veggies and let it cook for a bit.
Variations To Try
Veggies: There are a number of vegetables you can toss into the mix for more veggies of to substitute rice and to make this dish even healthier! Additions include snow or snap peas, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, summer squash, broccoli, canned baby corn, leeks, or green beans.
Grain: you can use any type of rice you wish and even flavored rice like herb rice or coconut rice. Brown rice, wild rice, and any variation of white rice will work. You can use something healthier like quinoa, farro, couscous, bulgur, or cauliflower rice.
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Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 3-4 tbsp peanut oil
- salt
- black peppers
- 1 sweet onion
- 1 red bell pepper
Sauce:
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 8 oz can pineapples – juice and pineapples separated
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce gluten free if needed
- 4 garlic cloves pressed
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a mixing bowl, whisk well, and set aside. (Don't add the pineapples, separate them from juice, and set aside.)
- Cut chicken thighs into small pieces and cut off as much excess fat as possible in the process.
- Dredge the chicken: Put cut chicken into a large zip-lock bag. Add cornstarch and some salt and pepper, close the bag, and give it some good shaking to make sure that all the chicken is coated evenly.
- Preheat a large cooking pan first and add oil. Add dredged chicken and sear it on all the sides until almost done. Take chicken out and set is aside.
- Add a little more oil if needed, and add in chopped onions, bell pepper, and scallions. Sauté for a few minutes, until softened.
- Add chopped pineapple and cook together with the veggies until pineapple starts to get golden and soften as well. Take the vegetables out of the pan and set aside with the chicken.
- Whisk the sauce again and add it to the same pan.
- Slowly stir and let the sauce come to simmer and start to thicken. Once it starts to thicken, add back the chicken and vegetables.
- Lower the heat and let the chicken finish cooking together with sauce.
- Finish the dish off with some fresh diced scallions. Serve it over rice or simple roasted/sautéed vegetables.
Notes
Nutrition
More Delicious Recipes To Try
Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Asian Recipes, Chicken Dinner Recipes, Chinese Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
So much better than take out! My husband loved this recipe!
This looks delicious… but you never said what to do with the pineapple and its juice. I’m assuming you add the pineapple when you throw everything back into the sauce… and you don’t use the juice??
Hi Shirley,
I am so sorry, I did miss that step, I will fix that. You add it after the veggies for a few min then take it out with the veggies before making the sauce.
Hey Lyuba, This Sweet and Sour Chicken looks so amazing. I am definitely going to cook this one on my anniversary. just hoping can make as good as it is looking in the pictures you have clicked.
Thank you! I hope you like it! 🙂