Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry

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Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry combines veggies, pineapple, ground chicken, and an irresistible sauce. This simple-to-make weeknight dinner will be a hit with everyone!

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry, sweet and sour chicken stir fry recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 295kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $9.12

Ingredients

Sauce (Note 1)

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup 100% pineapple juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
3 up to 4 tablespoons light (or dark) brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce

Chicken and Veggies

1 tablespoon sesame (or vegetable) oil
1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey
2 teaspoons each: minced garlic, minced ginger
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces (~3/4 cup)
1/2 of 1 red pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 of 1 green pepper cut into 1-inch pieces (or the rest of the red pepper)
1 cup chunked pineapple
Optional: green onions, thinly sliced and white basmati rice, for serving (Note 2)

US - Metric

Instructions

SAUCE: Add cornstarch to a bowl and slowly drizzle in pineapple juice while whisking with a fork until smooth. Add remaining sauce ingredients and whisk again until smooth. Set aside.
CHICKEN: Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat and drizzle in oil. Once oil is hot, add ground chicken. Cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until meat is fully cooked through (no pink remains -- don't overcook!). If any liquid has accumulated drain it off (See Note 3). Transfer chicken to a separate bowl or plate, or leave it in strainer until ready to use.
VEGGIES: Back to the skillet: Add in onion and peppers and increase heat to high. (Drizzle in a touch more oil if needed.) Cook, stirring frequently, until veggies are crisp tender, about 4-6 minutes (longer if you prefer more tender veggies). Once crisp-tender, reduce heat to medium. Add back the cooked chicken then garlic and ginger. Sauté for 30 seconds then add in pineapple. Give the sauce another quick stir and pour it in.
THICKEN: Cook, stirring constantly until sauce thickens and nicely coats everything, about 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat and top with thinly sliced green onions. Serve over white rice and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Note 1: Sauce: We love this sauce exactly how it is written, but you may prefer a slightly sweeter or slightly more sour sauce — neither is hard to change! For a sweeter sauce, add a bit more sugar. For a more sour sauce, add 1-2 tablespoons of additional vinegar. You can also add 1/4 teaspoon (or more) of red pepper flakes to add some spice.

Note 2: Rice: Here's the quickest/easiest way to get perfect basmati rice (must use basmati for this to work!)

Fill a large pot with water and set it to boil.
Once the water is at a rolling boil, salt the water and add in 1 cup rice.
Cook without, reducing the heat, for 6 minutes (Taste test to ensure it is tender.) and then drain and fluff with a fork. Easy!

Note 3: Draining chicken: I dump everything from the skillet into a strainer set in the sink and let it stand/drain until ready to use again.

Nutrition