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sweet and sour chicken with pineapple
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Sweet and sour chicken with pineapple and bell peppers

Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Aleksandra

Ingredients

chicken:

  • 2 chicken breasts about 12 oz/350g, or boneless and skinless thighs
  • ½ teaspoon chili flakes or to taste
  • 1.5 inch piece of ginger 4 cm, peeled and finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons potato starch/cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons frying oil

additionally:

  • 1.5 bell peppers I used 1 orange bell pepper and ½ red
  • 1 cup fresh pineapple

sweet and sour sauce:

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce 4 Tbsp
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar 4 Tbsp
  • 1/4 cup pineapple juice 4 Tbsp
  • 1/4 cup water 4 Tbsp
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste or ketchup
  • ¾ tablespoons light brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon potato starch / cornstarch

to serve:

  • ½ cup rice + 1 cup boiling water
  • sesame seeds for sprinkling

Instructions

  • Cut the chicken into 1-inch (2-3 cm) chunks, toss with chili flakes, finely chopped ginger and garlic together, season with salt to taste (but not much, the sauce will be salty). Cook right away or leave to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight. (If you’re marinating the chicken for 30 minutes, you can leave it on the counter, if longer - cover the bowl and put it in the fridge, then bring to the room temperature before cooking).
  • Cut the bell peppers and pineapple into 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) cubes.
  • Whisk the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl together, set aside.
  • Cook the rice: rinse the rice, add into a small pot, season with salt, pour in boiling water, cover, and cook over very low heat for about 15 minutes (starting from the moment when it comes to a boil) or until water is absorbed and the rice is soft.
  • Toss the chicken pieces in potato starch (or cornstarch). Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the chicken to the pan. Cook over high heat for about 2 minutes on each side, until browned, transfer on a plate.
  • Add bell peppers and pineapple to the pan, cook for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned and tender but still crunchy.
  • Add the chicken back to the pan, add the sauce, stir everything together, bring to a boil. When the sauce thickens remove the pan from the heat. When using cornstarch you may need to cook the sauce a couple of minutes longer as opposed to potato starch.
  • Serve with rice, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • 1 cup is 240-250 ml
  • Calories count = 1 serving = 1/2 recipe. This is only an estimate!
  • TIPS on cooking the chicken:
-If you have a smaller pan it would be better to cook the chicken in batches so it's not overcrowded and can brown properly.
-After adding chicken pieces to the pan, don't stir it! Wait a minute or two and only if they're nicely browned, stir and turn on the other side.
-Don't cook the meat for too long or it will be tough.

Nutrition

Calories: 694kcal