Easy sweet & sour chicken

Easy sweet & sour chicken

By Good Food
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(243 ratings)
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Prep: 5 mins - 10 mins Cook: 15 mins

Easy

Serves 4

Ditch the takeaway and make our simple sweet and sour chicken recipe. This speedy Chinese-style rice dish is ready in under 30 minutes and packed with zingy flavours.

Nutrition and extra info

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal305
  • fat2g
  • saturates0g
  • carbs38g
  • sugars23g
  • fibre2g
  • protein36g
  • salt1.63g
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Ingredients

  • 9 tbsp tomato ketchup
  • 3 tbsp malt vinegar
  • 4 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 4 skinless and boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks
  • 1 small onion, roughly chopped
    Onion

    Onion

    un-yun

    Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…

  • 2 red peppers, seeded and cut into chunks
    Peppers

    Pepper

    pep-iz

    Also known as capsicums, bell peppers, sweet peppers or by their colours, for example red and…

  • 227g can pineapple pieces in juice, drained
    Pineapple

    Pineapple

    pine-ap-pel

    With its tuft of spiky, dusty green leaves and cross-hatched, golden orange skin, the pineapple…

  • 100g sugar snap peas, roughly sliced
  • handful salted, roasted cashew nuts, optional
    Cashew

    Cashew

    ka-shoo

    The seeds from the 'Cashew Apple' - a tree which bears bright orange fruit and is native…

Method

  1. In a large microwaveable dish, mix the ketchup, vinegar, sugar and garlic thoroughly with the chicken, onion and peppers. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 8-10 mins until the chicken is starting to cook and the sauce is sizzling.

  2. Stir in the pineapple pieces and sugar snap peas and return to the microwave for another 3-5 mins until the chicken is completely cooked. Leave to stand for a few minutes, then stir in the cashews, if using, and serve.

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Comments, questions and tips

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FizzH89
27th Jul, 2013
I printed this recipe out ages ago but didn't get round to making it til this week.....I wish I'd made it sooner! It was really quick and easy, on the table within 30 mins of starting. The family loved it. I will most definitely be making this one again. Can certainly recommend :)
cambridgehelen
24th Jul, 2013
Have made this recipe twice now and both times have loved it!! My family like "saucy" dinners so both times have doubled the sauce ingredients. Both times have stir fried the chicken, chucked loads (really loads) of veg in to a wok added the sauce to heat through and at the last minute added a good handful of cashew nuts..... Yum yum. Oh and we like a bit of fire so add chilli too!!
buchan7767
22nd Jul, 2013
Was not too sure how the sauce would taste whilst making it as very dark but, once it was mixed with the chicken and veg in the wok, it was very tasty. Would definitely make it again.
saffysue
12th May, 2013
5.05
Have cooked this a few times now both in the wok and in the microwave. Very easy, very tasty and not the yucky gloopy sauce that is standard at the local takeaway.
raven
21st Apr, 2013
1.05
THe only dud recipe I've found on this site. Was just OK - sauce tasted just like you'd expect ketchup malt vinegar and brown sugar to taste - a bit yuk!
simone12
16th Apr, 2013
5.05
Wow, so simple to make and the family loved it. Was very pleased with myself after making this.
vixtwo
10th Apr, 2013
5.05
A stunning dish, dead, dead easy, pretty much all store cupboard ingredients, and I used it with left over roast pork from the Sunday roast. Highly recommended.
joerin42
8th Apr, 2013
I also used a wok and it was fine, but I did fine the sauce very sweet, next time I'll cut down on the sugar.
angie1993
8th Apr, 2013
5.05
I cooked it in the wok too and it was delicious! So quick & easy to make. I added some chilli flakes for a little heat.
astri24
7th Apr, 2013
3.05
I didn't really like the idea of cooking it in microwave, so I cooked it in a wok. Half-cooked the chicken with a very little amount of oil. Put the chicken aside. Stirred in the garlic first and then the onion. Put back the half-cooked chicken into the wok and then add the sauce. After 5 minutes I added the other ingredients. Sauce was fantastic though. Love the combination of ketchup and malt vinegar. I used 30% more on ketchup and malt vinegar (12 tbsp of ketchup and 4 tbsp of malt vinegar).

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