Sweet and sour chicken
You've tasted sweet and sour chicken at the takeaway, but you can make it far better at home and it's much healthier! The Hairy Bikers show you how.
Each serving provides 310 kcal, 20g protein, 40g carbohydrates (of which 32g sugars), 7g fat (of which 1g saturates), 4g fibre and 0.9g salt.
Ingredients
For the chicken
- ½ small pineapple
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onion, cut into wedges
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly diagonally sliced
For the sauce
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 300ml/10fl oz fresh pineapple juice
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 25g/1oz piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 pinch dried chilli flakes
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the sauce, put the cornflour in a small bowl and stir in two tablespoons of the pineapple juice until smooth. Put the remaining pineapple juice in a separate bowl and stir in the garlic, ginger, soy, vinegar, sugar, ketchup and chilli flakes until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
Put the pineapple on a board and cut off the skin. Quarter lengthways and remove the tough central core. Cut the pineapple into thick slices and set aside. Cut each chicken breast into seven to nine even pieces (depending on size).
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok and stir-fry the onion and peppers for three minutes over a high heat. Coat the chicken in the cornflour and add to the pan. Stir-fry for four minutes until very lightly coloured on all sides.
Add the pineapple and sweet and sour sauce to the pan with the chicken and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring regularly until the chicken is cooked through and the pineapple is hot.
Stir in the cornflour and pineapple solution mixture and cook for 30–60 seconds until the sauce is thickened and glossy, turning the chicken and vegetables until nicely coated. Sprinkle with sliced spring onions and serve hot.
Recipe Tips
This recipe has extra vegetables and a bit less sugar to keep the calories down and make it a good choice for a weekday dinner. Serve with steamed rice.
If you like the brightly coloured sauce you often get from Chinese takeaways, you can add a drop of red food colouring. The bright orangey-red colour is always artificial.
If you prefer your chicken crispy, try this recipe for Hong Kong style sweet and sour.
