Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-fry

Sweet and sour chicken is one of my all-time favorite Chinese dishes. Loaded with chicken, pineapple and tender vegetables tossed in a simple homemade sweet and sour sauce. Serve over rice with sprinkle of green onion! I cut out a lot of sugar from my original recipe without sacrificing flavor, making this dish better than takeout and definitely better for you!Serves 6 (or 4 generous) portions.

📝 Ingredients

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup fresh pineapple juice (reserved from pineapple for recipe)
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari (or low-sodium soy sauce)
• 1/2 cup ketchup (homemade or store-bought)
• 2/3 cup white vinegar
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon sambal oelek or sriracha (for spice (optional))
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (plus 1 tablespoon cold water (cornstarch slurry))
• 2 carrots (peeled and sliced on an angle)
• 1 broccoli crown (cut into florets)
• 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
• 1 red bell pepper (chopped into large bite-size pieces)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt
• 10 ounces fresh pineapple (cut into cubes (about 1-1/2 cups))
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 egg white
• extra light olive oil (plus more as needed)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- TO MAKE THE SAUCE: ---
2. 2In a medium bowl whisk the sugars, honey, pineapple juice, tamari, ketchup, vinegar and chicken broth.
3. 3Season the cubed chicken with the pepper to combine and set aside.
4. 4--- TO MAKE THE VEGETABLES: ---
5. 5Preheat your oven to 500°.
6. 6Place the sliced carrots, broccoli florets, onion and chopped red pepper onto a rimmed metal baking sheet.
7. 7Drizzle with olive oil and season with a few pinches of kosher salt. Roast for 8-10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through roasting. Remove and set off to the side.
8. 8--- TO PREPARE THE CHICKEN: ---
9. 9Toss the chicken breast pieces with cornstarch and white pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy and add in the coated chicken. Toss to coat.
10. 10In a wok or large 12-inch chefs pan or skillet, add in 2 tablespoons of extra light olive oil or coconut oil and heat on medium-high to high heat. Once hot, work in batches cooking the chicken 4 to 6 minutes a side or until fully cooked. Add more oil as needed.
11. 11Once the chicken is fully cooked, reduce the heat to medium and add all of the chicken back into the pan, along with the minced garlic.
12. 12Cook for 1 to 2 minutes before adding in the vegetables and pineapple. Pour in the sweet and sour sauce and increase the heat back to high, and bring the sauce to a boil.
13. 13Once the sauce is boiling, pour in the cornstarch slurry and simmer until the sauce thickens. Taste and season the sauce with kosher salt, to your preference.
14. 14Serve the sweet and sour chicken over cooked rice and garnish with sliced green onions, cilantro and more sambal oelek or sriracha if desired.