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Sweet and Sour Chicken

sweet and sour chicken
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Sweet and Sour Chicken

A Chinese take-out family favorite, this Sweet & Sour Chicken cuts out the sugar and fat of restaurant varieties. This version combines the natural sweetness of pineapples with sugar substitute for a healthier take and uses a variety of bell peppers to create a colorful entrée.

Ingredients

Servings  4   Serving Size   2 cups chicken + 1/2 cup brown rice

  • 4 bell peppers, 1 each of red, yellow, green, and orange if possible, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips (about 5 cups)
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 teaspoons canola oil (divided)
  • 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless, thinly sliced chicken breast (cut into 1-inch strips)
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch (divided)
  • 1 large egg white
  • ½ cup pineapple juice + 1 cup pineapple chunks from 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, divided
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sugar substitute (granulated)
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
  • ¼ cup chopped scallions, to garnish
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice (from 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice), to serve

Directions

Tip: Click on step to mark as complete.

  1. Halve each bell pepper lengthwise. Remove and discard the seeds; slice each one into 1-inch strips.
  2. Prepare the sweet and sour sauce: into a small bowl, add ½ cup pineapple juice, cider vinegar, tomato paste, sugar substitute, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Stir together to combine.
  3. Place the chicken breast pieces lengthwise onto a cutting board and cut 1-inch strips of chicken. Add to a bowl with egg whites and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Stir together to combine.
  4. Warm a large nonstick pan with 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; stirring frequently, sauté until chicken is fully-cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes depending on thickness. Remove from heat, transfer chicken to a plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.
  5. Again warm the nonstick pan with 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper strips and stirring constantly, cook until pepper are soft and tender, about 5 minutes. Add in the ginger, stirring and cooking for 30 seconds, before stirring in the reserved sweet and sour sauce and 1 cup pineapple chunks. Stir until sauce slightly thickens, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in reserved chicken and cook another minute. Remove from heat and garnish with scallions.
  6. Serve sweet and sour chicken over the brown rice.

Cooking Tip:

Mixing raw chicken slices with cornstarch and egg whites is a Chinese cooking technique called "velveting." It prevents meat from drying out while cooking in a stir-fry and provides a soft, velvety texture.

Keep it Healthy: Mixing tomato paste with a low- or no-calorie sweetener is a short-cut to replace ketchup in a recipe without the extra sodium of the condiment.

Tip: 1 teaspoon of ground ginger can be substituted for the fresh; just mix into the sweet and sour sauce in advance.

Nutrition Facts

Sweet and Sour Chicken
CaloriesCalories
471 Per Serving
ProteinProtein
36g Per Serving
FiberFiber
6g Per Serving

Nutrition Facts

Calories 471
Total Fat 9.6 g
Saturated Fat 1.4 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 4.4 g
Cholesterol 91 mg
Sodium 510 mg
Total Carbohydrate 57 g
Dietary Fiber 6 g
Sugars 26 g
Protein 36 g

Dietary Exchanges
1 1/2 starch, 2 fruit, 1 vegetable, 4 lean meat

 
A Chinese take-out family favorite, this Sweet & Sour Chicken cuts out the sugar and fat of restaurant varieties. This version combines the natural sweetness of pineapples with sugar substitute for a healthier take and uses a variety of bell peppers to create a colorful entrée.

Nutrition Facts

Sweet and Sour Chicken
CaloriesCalories
471 Per Serving
ProteinProtein
36g Per Serving
FiberFiber
6g Per Serving
×
Calories 471
Total Fat 9.6 g
Saturated Fat 1.4 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 4.4 g
Cholesterol 91 mg
Sodium 510 mg
Total Carbohydrate 57 g
Dietary Fiber 6 g
Sugars 26 g
Protein 36 g

Dietary Exchanges
1 1/2 starch, 2 fruit, 1 vegetable, 4 lean meat

Ingredients

Servings  4   Serving Size   2 cups chicken + 1/2 cup brown rice

  • 4 bell peppers, 1 each of red, yellow, green, and orange if possible, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips (about 5 cups)
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 teaspoons canola oil (divided)
  • 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless, thinly sliced chicken breast (cut into 1-inch strips)
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch (divided)
  • 1 large egg white
  • ½ cup pineapple juice + 1 cup pineapple chunks from 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, divided
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sugar substitute (granulated)
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
  • ¼ cup chopped scallions, to garnish
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice (from 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice), to serve

Directions

Tip: Click on step to mark as complete.

  1. Halve each bell pepper lengthwise. Remove and discard the seeds; slice each one into 1-inch strips.
  2. Prepare the sweet and sour sauce: into a small bowl, add ½ cup pineapple juice, cider vinegar, tomato paste, sugar substitute, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Stir together to combine.
  3. Place the chicken breast pieces lengthwise onto a cutting board and cut 1-inch strips of chicken. Add to a bowl with egg whites and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Stir together to combine.
  4. Warm a large nonstick pan with 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; stirring frequently, sauté until chicken is fully-cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes depending on thickness. Remove from heat, transfer chicken to a plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.
  5. Again warm the nonstick pan with 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper strips and stirring constantly, cook until pepper are soft and tender, about 5 minutes. Add in the ginger, stirring and cooking for 30 seconds, before stirring in the reserved sweet and sour sauce and 1 cup pineapple chunks. Stir until sauce slightly thickens, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in reserved chicken and cook another minute. Remove from heat and garnish with scallions.
  6. Serve sweet and sour chicken over the brown rice.

Cooking Tip:

Mixing raw chicken slices with cornstarch and egg whites is a Chinese cooking technique called "velveting." It prevents meat from drying out while cooking in a stir-fry and provides a soft, velvety texture.

Keep it Healthy: Mixing tomato paste with a low- or no-calorie sweetener is a short-cut to replace ketchup in a recipe without the extra sodium of the condiment.

Tip: 1 teaspoon of ground ginger can be substituted for the fresh; just mix into the sweet and sour sauce in advance.
 

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