Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients

• 450 gchicken breast
• 1 heaped tbspcornflour
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 1red pepper
• 1green pepper
• 1 mediumcarrot
• 120 mlapple cider vinegar
• 90 glight brown sugar
• 1 small 227 g canpineapple chunks in juice
• 1 tsptamarind paste
• 1 heaped tbsptomato purée
• 1 tbspcornflour
• to tastesalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the sauce

   Add the apple cider vinegar, light brown sugar, pineapple chunks and their juice, tamarind paste and tomato purée to a medium saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble.

2. 2

   Mix the thickener

   Put 1 tbsp cornflour in a cup or small bowl. Stir in a few tablespoons of the sauce until smooth, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan and stir.

3. 3

   Thicken the sauce

   Let the sauce bubble over a low heat for 3–4 minutes, until slightly thickened. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed, then turn off the heat and leave the sauce in the pan.

4. 4

   Coat the chicken

   While the sauce cooks, cut the 450 g chicken breast into bite-sized pieces. Put it in a large bowl, sprinkle over 1 heaped tbsp cornflour and mix until coated.

5. 5

   Prepare the vegetables

   Cut the red and green peppers into bite-sized pieces. Peel the carrot and cut it into chunky matchsticks.

6. 6

   Cook chicken and vegetables

   Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat until sizzling. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, tossing it occasionally so it cooks evenly. Add the peppers and carrot, then cook for a few minutes more, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables have softened slightly.

7. 7

   Add the sauce

   Pour the sauce into the pan and cook for about 1 minute, until hot.

8. 8

   Serve the chicken

   Serve the sweet and sour chicken. It can be served with rice and prawn crackers and sprinkled with spring onion.

What is sweet and sour chicken?

Sweet and sour chicken is a Chinese-style dish familiar from take-away menus, combining chicken with a sharp, sweet sauce. This version uses pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar, tamarind and tomato purée for its contrasting flavours.

Cooking the sauce separately gives it time to thicken before it meets the chicken and vegetables. The result is a quick, home-cooked version with peppers and carrot for colour and bite.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 342 calories, 28g protein, 42g carbs, 6g fat.

Chicken provides most of the protein, while the sugar, pineapple juice and cornflour contribute much of the carbohydrate. Olive oil and the chicken account for much of the fat. Serve with a measured portion of rice and add extra vegetables if you want to balance the plate with more produce.

Building the sauce

Sweetness and acidity: pineapple juice and light brown sugar bring sweetness, while apple cider vinegar supplies the tang. Tamarind adds another sour note, and tomato purée rounds out the sauce.

Cornflour slurry: mix the cornflour with a little warm sauce before adding it to the pan. This helps it disperse smoothly rather than forming lumps.

Getting the chicken ready

Even pieces: cut the chicken into similarly sized bites so they cook at a similar pace. A light coating of cornflour helps the outside take on a delicate coating as it cooks.

Hot pan: wait for the oil to sizzle before adding the chicken. Toss the pieces occasionally, as directed, to help them cook evenly.

Keeping the vegetables lively

Cut size: bite-sized pepper pieces and chunky carrot matchsticks are easy to eat and cook quickly. Keeping the carrot in chunky strips gives it a little more bite.

Short cook: add the vegetables after the chicken has cooked for 5 minutes, then cook for a few minutes more. The recipe aims for vegetables that have softened slightly, not become very soft.

Checking texture and doneness

Chicken: cut into a larger piece to check that it is cooked through, with no raw-looking centre. If it needs longer, keep cooking before adding the sauce.

Sauce: after 3–4 minutes over a low heat, it should be slightly thicker; it will also coat the chicken once stirred through. Heat it with the chicken for about 1 minute before serving.

Timing and serving

Make the sauce first and let it wait off the heat while you prepare and cook the chicken and vegetables. This keeps the final step quick: add the sauce and heat everything together for about a minute.

Rice makes a straightforward accompaniment, while the recipe also suggests prawn crackers and a little spring onion. Add the spring onion at the end for a fresh garnish.

Recipe notes & tips

• Measure the sauce ingredients before you start so you can focus on cooking once the pan is hot.
• Stir the cornflour into a small amount of sauce until smooth before returning it to the saucepan.
• Keep the chicken pieces similar in size to help them cook evenly.
• Prepare the peppers and carrot while the sauce bubbles gently.
• Check the chicken is cooked through before adding the sauce.
• Taste the sauce before adding salt, as the recipe calls for seasoning only if needed.

Variations

• Add spring onion: sprinkle it over the dish just before serving.
• Use fresh pineapple: replace the canned chunks and juice with fresh pineapple, adding liquid separately to maintain the sauce.
• Change the vegetables: swap one pepper for another quick-cooking vegetable, keeping the total amount similar.
• Adjust the tang: add a little less vinegar for a milder sauce.
• Serve with noodles: use cooked noodles instead of rice alongside the chicken.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Lumpy sauce: mix the cornflour with a few tablespoons of sauce until smooth before adding it back.
• Overcooked vegetables: add them after the chicken has cooked for 5 minutes and cook only until slightly softened.
• Uneven chicken pieces: cut them to a similar bite-sized shape so they cook at a similar rate.
• Crowded pan: use a large saucepan so the chicken can cook evenly rather than piling it high.
• Adding sauce too early: wait until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables have softened slightly.

How to store

Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container and use within 2–3 days. Reheat in a saucepan over a medium-low heat until piping hot, stirring gently; add a splash of water if the sauce has thickened in storage.

Frequently asked questions