Description
This easy Sweet and Sour Chicken is one of the best dinner ideas when you need a quick and simple meal that still feels special. Tender chicken with peppers and pineapple gets coated in a glossy tangy sauce for a healthy homemade option everyone loves. It is great for weeknight dinner and meal prep and even works for a casual party when you want easy ideas that taste fresh and satisfying.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless breasts cut into bite size pieces Chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup Cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 large Egg
- 3 tablespoons Neutral oil
- 1 medium chopped Red bell pepper
- 1 medium chopped Green bell pepper
- 1 cup Pineapple chunks
- 2 cloves minced Garlic
- 1/3 cup Ketchup
- 1/4 cup Rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Honey
- 2 tablespoons Soy sauce
- 1/2 cup Pineapple juice
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch for sauce
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 2 tablespoons sliced Green onions
Instructions
- Toss the chicken pieces with salt and black pepper and then coat them with egg and cornstarch until every piece looks lightly sticky and pale and unevenly covered. The chicken should still have rough edges and natural size variation and the coating should cling in soft patches rather than looking perfectly smooth.
- Combine ketchup rice vinegar honey soy sauce pineapple juice garlic and the cornstarch slurry until the mixture turns smooth and bright red orange. You should be able to see the sauce go from streaky and separated to glossy and fully blended with tiny bits of garlic suspended throughout.
- Cook the coated chicken until the outside changes from pale and powdery to lightly golden with a few darker spots and firmer edges. The pieces should look separated rather than clumped and their surfaces should show uneven browning and little ridges from the coating.
- Stir in the red bell pepper green bell pepper and pineapple chunks so the pan shifts from mostly golden chicken to a bright mix of red green and yellow. The vegetables should look fresh and glossy while the pineapple softens slightly and the chicken settles between the larger pieces in a loose uneven layer.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture and cook until everything changes from separate pieces to a glossy coated stir fry with a deep red orange sheen. The sauce should cling in uneven layers around the chicken and vegetables and small bubbles should give way to a thicker finish that settles into the corners of the food.
- Spoon the chicken onto a plate and finish with sliced green onions for a final look that feels and homemade. You want to see the glossy sauce and slightly browned chicken and softened peppers and juicy pineapple all piled naturally with little overlaps and uneven textures rather than a perfect restaurant stack.
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Cut the chicken into similar bite size pieces so they cook at nearly the same speed.
- Let the chicken get a little color before stirring so the coating has time to set.
- Add the sauce only after the peppers and pineapple have started to soften slightly.
- Taste at the end and add a tiny splash of vinegar if you want a sharper tang.
Storage: Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheat gently until hot and glossy again. For longer storage freeze portions once cooled and thaw overnight before reheating so the sauce keeps its texture better.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Chinese American