Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken with vegetables, a tasty dinner dish ready in about 15 minutes. So much better and a lot healthier than any take away. Serve it with rice or noodles for a truly Asian feast.
Chinese take-away must be one of the most popular all over the world. And there's hardly any surprise here, most dishes are so delicious, it's impossible not to want to eat them over and over again. Chinese-style chicken is my absolute favourite: plenty of flavour, and so easy to make at home too.
My only experience with ready-made sweet and sour chicken was in a restaurant where they had some sort of a buffet with dishes from different cuisines.Their sweet and sour chicken looked so delicious, but when I tasted it, my happiness went right down the drain.
The sauce was way too sour, the chicken way to greasy, and the veggies were nearly raw, rather than nearly tender. It's safe to say I was not impressed at all.
So, that's how I decided I would have a better experience with the sweet and sour chicken next time. And my home-made version is so much healthier, and tastier too. I've made it a few times already, and every single time it tastes as good.
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Ingredients needed
- chicken breasts (diced) -
- cornflour (cornstarch)
- cider vinegar - it's a lot sharper than Chinese vinegar, so the flavours would come through better
- ketchup - regular ketchup should do
- muscovado sugar
- salt
- light soy sauce - it gives the sauce the sharpness we need
- dark soy sauce - it adds a rich colour
- sesame oil
- ground pepper
- vegetable oil
- yellow pepper
- orange pepper
- garlic cloves
- fresh ginger root - or ginger paste
- spring onions
- onion
Step-by-step photos and instructions
Stir frying is not only quick, but healthier too. The veggies keep their colour and shape without being overcooked, and the chicken is cooked to perfection.
- First, start by cooking the chicken. Add the cornflour (cornstarch) to a bag together with a bit of salt and pepper, add the diced chicken and shake well to coat evenly.
- Heat up the oil in a pan, add the chicken pieces and cook until tender, then remove the chicken from the pan and wipe the pan clean.
- Add a bit more oil to the same pan, throw in the spring onions, garlic and ginger, and cook for a few seconds to release the flavours.
- Add the chopped vegetables and stir fry until the veggies are cooked, but not too soft. The cooked chicken can now be added too.
The best vegetables for sweet and sour chicken are peppers (green, yellow, red), courgettes (zucchini), mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, although anything else goes too.
Once the chicken and veggies are cooked, it's time we made the sauce. Use a different pan for the sauce, so it can cooked beautifully.
- Add the ketchup, soy sauces, sesame oil, vinegar and sugar, and stir well. Use one tablespoon of cornflour with 2 tablespoons of water, then pour the mixture in the sauce, and cook gently over a low heat until the sauce thickens a bit.
The chicken and veggies will now be added too, and toss around to be well coated in sauce. Garnish with spring onions, and that's your dish ready.
Expert tips
There are lots of recipes out there for sweet and sour chicken (or any other meat). Some of them use fresh or canned pineapples for that sharp, yet sweet taste. I used pineapples for my Sweet and Sour Leftover Pork and my Sweet and Sour Quorn and that was delicious!
Healthy chicken recipes can make dinner time so easy, especially if they are quick and ready on the table in no time. And this dish is no exception. So, there you go, your own Asian dish ready in no time.
Other Chinese recipes
If you’ve liked my HEALTHY SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts (diced)
- 2 tablespoon corn flour
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon muscovado sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 orange pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2.5 cm fresh ginger root
- 2 spring onions
- 1 onion
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a bag, add one tablespoon of corn flour, a quarter of a teaspoon of salt and the ground pepper and seal the bag.
- Shake it well so that the chicken can be coated evenly.
- Heat up two tablespoons of oil in a pan, add the chicken and fry until brown and cooked through.
- Peel and grate the garlic cloves and ginger, chop the spring onions and add them to a wok together with half a teaspoon of oil.
- Stir for 30 seconds, then add peppers and onion chopped roughly.
- Stir well for about 5 minutes, so that the vegetables can soften. A high heat is recommended when stir frying.
- Season with salt to taste.
- In a separate pan, combine the ketchup, soy sauces, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil.
- Mix one tablespoon of corn flour with two tablespoons of cold water, then add the mixture to the pan.
- Stir gently on a medium heat until the sauce thickens.
- Pour it over the vegetables, add the cooked chicken and mix well.
- Serve hot!
Notes
- If you'd like to see the measurements in CUPS and OUNCES, please click on the US CUSTOMARY link.
- The amount of ingredients can be adjusted according to the number of servings you need, please click on the number of servings to change it.
Nutrition
Millie Thom
This has got to be one of the most colourful and attractive dishes I've seen for a while.And it sounds delicious! I enjoyed reading about your visit to the restaurant and how it inspired you to create your own recipe.
Daniela Anderson
Thank you, Millie! It's a nice dish and easy to make. Sometimes l wonder what else to cook, and it helps that l'm always happy to try different dishes.
Jay
Looks delicious 😋 I will have to give it ago.
Angie
Just made this for tea and it is absolutely delicious.
Thankyou so much for sharing,I will definitely make this again.
Daniela Apostol
That's great, I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!