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Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-fry

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Sweet and sour chicken is one of my all-time favorite Chinese dishes. The perfect balance of sweet and sour and loaded with veggies! In this recipe, I cut out a lot of sugar from my original recipe without sacrificing flavor. Better than takeout and definitely better for you! Serves 6 (or 4 generous) portions.
Course Mains & Entrees
Cuisine Asian
Keyword chicken, dinner, easy, fun dinner, sour, stir fry, sweet
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Servings 6 servings
Calories 421
Author Laurie McNamara

Equipment

Ingredients

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 1/4 cup granulated
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup fresh pineapple juice reserved from pineapple for recipe
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup ketchup homemade or store-bought
  • 2/3 cup white vinegar
  • 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon sambal oelek or sriracha for spice (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 1 tablespoon cold water (cornstarch slurry)

FOR THE VEGGIES:

  • 2 carrots peeled and sliced on an angle
  • 1 broccoli crown cut into florets
  • 1 medium yellow onion chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped into large bite-size pieces
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • 10 ounces fresh pineapple cut into cubes (about 1-1/2 cups)

FOR THE CHICKEN:

  • 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 egg white
  • extra light olive oil plus more as needed

Instructions

TO MAKE THE SAUCE:

  • In a medium bowl whisk the sugars, honey, pineapple juice, tamari, ketchup, vinegar and chicken broth.
  • Season the cubed chicken with the pepper to combine and set aside.

TO MAKE THE VEGETABLES:

  • Preheat your oven to 500°.
  • Place the sliced carrots, broccoli florets, onion and chopped red pepper onto a rimmed metal baking sheet.
  • Drizzle with olive oil and season with a few pinches of kosher salt. Roast for 8-10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through roasting. Remove and set off to the side.

TO PREPARE THE CHICKEN:

  • Toss the chicken breast pieces with cornstarch and white pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy and add in the coated chicken. Toss to coat.
  • In a wok or large 12-inch chefs pan or skillet, add in 2 tablespoons of extra light olive oil or coconut oil and heat on medium-high to high heat. Once hot, work in batches cooking the chicken 4 to 6 minutes a side or until fully cooked. Add more oil as needed.
  • Once the chicken is fully cooked, reduce the heat to medium and add all of the chicken back into the pan, along with the minced garlic.
  • Cook for 1 to 2 minutes before adding in the vegetables and pineapple. Pour in the sweet and sour sauce and increase the heat back to high, and bring the sauce to a boil.
  • Once the sauce is boiling, pour in the cornstarch slurry and simmer until the sauce thickens. Taste and season the sauce with kosher salt, to your preference.
  • Serve the sweet and sour chicken over cooked rice and garnish with sliced green onions, cilantro and more sambal oelek or sriracha if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 719mg | Potassium: 1071mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 4816IU | Vitamin C: 144mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2mg