Sweet and Sour Chicken with Rice and Peppers

Sweet and sour chicken had been on my to-do list for ages. This version combines chicken, crisp peppers and rice with a sauce made from soy sauce, tomato purée, ketchup, vinegar and sugar. A few pieces of pineapple add fruitiness, but you can leave them out if you prefer.

The photos show the original soy-based version.

Make the sweet and sour sauce

Mix the soy sauce, tomato purée, ketchup, white wine vinegar and sugar. Stir the cornflour into a little cold water until smooth, then add it. Bring the sauce to a brief simmer in the pan so it thickens. Loosen with a splash of water if needed and taste before adding salt.

Cook the chicken, keep some bite in the peppers

Cut the raw chicken into bite-sized pieces on a separate board, then fry. Set aside while the peppers and spring onions soften. Return the chicken with the sauce and cook through completely, leaving a little bite in the peppers.

Without pineapple

Leave out the 50 g pineapple and use water in the sauce. Sugar and vinegar still provide the sweet and sour flavour. Add a little extra pepper if you like.

A plant-based alternative

I originally made this with a soy-based chicken alternative, which is the version shown in the photos. You can still use it, following the packet cooking instructions. The recipe below uses chicken breast.

Kitchen tip

Mix the cornflour with cold water first. Adding it straight to hot sauce can leave lumps.

Easy recipe

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Rice and Peppers

Sweet and sour chicken with peppers, pineapple and rice in 30 minutes. Make the sauce from simple ingredients, with an option to leave out the pineapple.

Prep time

10 min

Cook time

20 min

Yield

2 servings

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Ingredients

− 2 +

• 180 gchicken breast, raw weight
• 3spring onions, about 50 g
• 1red pepper, about 120 g
• 50 gbamboo slices, drained
• 50 gpineapple in pieces
• 150 gbasmati rice, dry weight

• For the sauce

• 3 tbspsoy sauce
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tbsptomato ketchup
• 1 tbspwhite wine vinegar
• 3 tbspsugar
• a bit of salt
• 1 teaspooncornstarch
• some water
• 1 tbspvegetable oil

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Instructions

Cook mode

1. Cook the basmati rice according to the packet. Dice the pepper, slice the spring onions and drain the bamboo shoots.
2. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces on a separate board. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, brown the chicken all over and briefly set aside. Clean hands, board and knife after handling raw chicken.
3. Soften the pepper and spring onions in the remaining oil over medium heat for a few minutes.
4. Mix the soy sauce, tomato purée, ketchup, vinegar and sugar. Stir the cornflour into a little cold water until smooth, then add to the sauce and loosen with a small splash of water.
5. Add the sauce, bamboo shoots, pineapple and chicken to the vegetables. Bring to a brief simmer, then cook gently for about 5 minutes, adding water if needed. Cook the chicken through completely; larger pieces take longer.
6. Taste the sauce and serve with the rice.

Nutrition per serving

Calories

594 kcal

Protein

29.7 g

Carbohydrates

94.6 g

Sugar

27.8 g

Fat

10.2 g

Saturated fat

1.8 g

Fibre

4.2 g

Salt

3.8 g

Data source: USDA SR28

Recipe: Corinna · kitchensplace