Sweet and sour chicken stir fry
You really don’t need a packet sauce to make a deliciously tasty stir fry. This recipes is so scrumptious – part stir-fry, part chow-mein, part sweet & sour chicken – it’s fresh, tasty and simple to prepare using ingredients you probably have lying around in the pantry or fridge. If you love coriander (like I do), use a whole bunch. Chop the stems up finely and add to the stir fry with the veges, then use the leaves for garnish. If you prefer to serve the chicken on rice rather stir fry with noodles, it’s just as good. I would normally use brown rice as I think it tastes better and I love the texture.
Serves 4-5
Prep time – 15 minutes
Cooking time – 25 minutes
Ingredients
Oil, for frying (peanut, rice bran or grape seed)
500g-600g boneless chicken breasts or thighs
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
3 cups chopped vegetables e.g. capsicum, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, snow peas, green beans
1/3 of a fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into pieces
¾ cup roasted cashews or peanuts (you can chop some up finely for garnish, too – see below)
¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, to serve (chives, coriander, parsley)
200g egg noodles
Sweet & sour sauce
½ cup pineapple juice
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or 1 ½ tbsp white or malt vinegar)
3 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if necessary)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp cornflour mixed with ¼ cup water or chicken stock
2 tsp lemon or lime juice
¾ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp ground white or black pepper
Pinch chilli flakes (optional)
Method
If your noodles are dry, cook according to the packet directions, drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside. (If precooked, just get them out of the packet).
Add the sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Set aside to use later.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and slice into chunks. Season all over with salt and pepper (I like to use a combination of black and white pepper for this dish).
Heat a frying pan or wok over a high heat. When it’s very hot, add 1 tbsp of the oil, swish it around and add half the chicken pieces. Fry, without stirring, until one side is golden brown and crispy (don’t stir too early). Give it a stir and brown the other sides. Set aside in a bowl and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Reduce the heat to medium, add another 1 tbsp oil the the same pan/wok, along with the onions. Stir-fry for a few minutes until golden brown. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry another minute. Increase the heat to high then add the vegetables, pineapple and cashews, and stir-fry for another minute (the veges should still be crunchy at this point).
Add the chicken and its juices back to the pan with the sauce and the noodles. Stir, and simmer for around 5 minutes – or until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked through. Don’t overcook here, it or the veges will go mushy.
Serve in bowls garnished with extra herbs and a good smattering of the cashews or peanuts.
Chelsea’s tips
- To toast the nuts if they are raw, bake in the oven at 180c for 10 minutes.
- I also like chopping up some of the toasted nuts finely and using that as a garnish and well as some stirred through the dish at the end – so you get some whole ones and some chopped.
What book is this one in I have all of your books and have made it before but I can’tbseem to find it
There is sweet & sour chicken in Scrumptious but this stir fry recipe is exclusive to the website x
Is this recipe in one of her books? I have looked through them a couple of times but can’t find!
There is a Sweet and Sour Chicken in Scrumptious x
Hi Chelsea, am just wanting to know if you could freeze the leftovers? Or best eaten fresh?
We had this for dinner tonight and it was so tasty and a huge hit with the family!! Delicious, will definitely be making this a new favourite dish.
Wow Chelsea!!! This is just divine… and so easy! never ever buying it again :o)
If we want to serve with rice only and not noodles do we skip adding the noodle part or still put them it but just serve with rice? Thank you in advance !
Very very nice thank you Chelsea. We had so much left over (2 of us) that I got my Husband to do ‘Meals on wheels’ to my mother-in-law and my 90 year old Dad. They also both loved it. Had enough for lunch the next day also.
Yummmmm! Just made this for dinner. So easy :-)
Delicious! Nicest sweet ‘n’ sour chicken my family and I have eaten! I added a chopped fresh chilli (which I threw in with the garlic and ginger), and mushrooms, carrot and capsicum for the veggies :-) mmmmm
Could you use Frozen stir fry vegetables from the supermarket
First time I had tried a stir fry from scratch and not a packet and it was much easier than I expected. Also tasted so much better!
What could be used as a substitute for the honey?
Sugar or maple syrup.
Best sweet and sour recipe ever!! The jar is finally banished.
This recipe is absolutely superb, full of flavour and goodness, far superior to a takeaway version. Thank you Chelsea, always exciting to have a new family favourite!!
Thanks!
Hi Chelsea, I have made this twice now and it is delicious. The fresh pineapple makes it, Thanks
i made this for our tea tonight, my goodness it is delishious! It will be made again.
I made this last Sunday night for tea and we loved it, especially being made fresh and not out of a packet.
Hi Chelsea,
What quantity of tinned pineapple could I use instead of fresh?
Thanks,
Grace
One of the small tins would be fine.
I have made this it is fabulous