Sweet and sour chicken
Crispy chicken, bell peppers, onion and pineapple tossed in a bright, glossy sweet and sour sauce made from pineapple juice, ketchup and vinegar.
- Prep
- 6 min
- Cook
- 14 min
- Serves
- 2
- Per serve
- 1180 kcal
Ingredients
Method
Beat the egg and salt in a bowl and toss the chicken through it. Add the 1/2 cup cornstarch and toss until every piece is coated. In a measuring cup, whisk the pineapple juice (about 1/3 cup), ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and 2 tsp cornstarch.
Pour the oil into a wok or 10-inch deep skillet: it should sit about 1/3 inch deep and fill the pan no more than a third. Heat over medium-high until a piece of chicken sizzles hard straight away (about 350°F), about 3 minutes. Stay close, and cut the peppers and onion while it heats.
Fry half the chicken, turning, until golden, crisp and cooked through with no pink inside. Lift onto paper towels.
Fry the second batch the same way, letting the oil reheat for a few seconds first. Meanwhile, heat the rice in the microwave according to the package.
Turn off the heat and carefully pour all but 1 tbsp of the oil into a heatproof bowl to cool. Set the pan over high heat and stir-fry the peppers and onion until bright and just tender-crisp.
Add the pineapple, stir the sauce and pour it in. Let it bubble, stirring, until thick and glossy.
Take off the heat, add the chicken and toss to coat. Serve straight away over the rice.
Tips
- If your can has less than 1/3 cup juice, top it up with water or orange juice.
- For gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce and check your ketchup label.
- For a lighter version, skip the coating and frying: stir-fry the chicken pieces in 1 tbsp oil until cooked through, then carry on with the vegetables.
