Sweet and sour chicken

A healthier version of a Chinese takeaway favourite

1 ratings

25 minutes
Serves 4
2.5 of 5 a day

Nutrition: Per serving

Kcal239
Fat5.8g
Salt0.8g
Sugar16.1g

Recipe by: Sarah Drabble | Nutritionist

Our research shows that eating well and being a healthy weight reduce your risk of cancer. All our recipes help you incorporate our science into your everyday life while still enjoying the food you love, such as this homemade sweet and sour chicken recipe.

Ingredients

1 x 425g can pineapple chunks in juice
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 tablespoon reduced-salt soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 teaspoon five spice
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 red pepper, cut into strips
4–6 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2.5cm root ginger, peeled and finely sliced
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Drain the juice from the pineapple into a bowl. To a separate bowl, add the cornflour and 1 tablespoon of the pineapple juice, and mix to form a paste. Add a further 5 tablespoons of the juice and stir until the paste has dissolved. Then add the soy sauce, vinegar, tomato purée, five spice and chilli flakes, and mix thoroughly.
Warm the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the onion and peppers for 2–3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides.
Add the pineapple chunks, garlic, ginger and black pepper to the frying pan, and stir for 1 minute.
Mix the sauce and pour into the frying pan. Stir thoroughly, coating all the ingredients in the sauce. Bring to boil and reduce the temperature. Allow to simmer – stirring occasionally – for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Serving suggestion: Serve with steamed brown basmati rice or our healthier egg fried rice.

Instead of chicken, try prawns or tofu in this recipe