I’m a big fan of sweet and sour chicken, the Chinese restaurant version… but who isn’t?! It’s deep-fried has that sweet tangy sauce smothered all over it!! Problem is, i’s not healthy… like at all. So this is a take on that type of thing, a sweet and sour flavored chicken dish, but with a healthy twist. It’s not battered or fried- just good old chicken, fresh veggies, and a sweet-spicy-tangy sauce cooked in with it to create that sweet and sour taste without all the crazy sodium and fried-ness. We really like it in my house- served with rice (great over white or brown) and a little cucumber salad or fresh spring rolls, it’s a great lighter version of the Chinese take-out style chicken we all love…
Serves 2 generously
INGREDIENTS
For sauce…
1 tbsp raw honey
2 tsp chili-garlic sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp tamari (or coconut aminos)
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp arrowroot starch (or other starch)
For chicken…
2 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless
1 tbsp arrowroot starch
1 tbsp ghee (or butter), melted
1/4 tsp black pepper
For the rest…
1 cup bell peppers, variety of colors if possible
1/2 cup red onion
1/2 cup fresh pineapple
1/2 cup snap or snow peas
1/4 cup scallions (green & white parts separated)
serve over rice or quinoa
DIRECTIONS
Grate ginger on small-sized grater
Mix honey, chili-garlic sauce, tamari, ginger,
orange juice, vinegar, and pepper together in a bowl
Add 1 tbsp of starch and whisk well
Set sauce aside
Cut chicken breasts into about 1 inch squares
Place in a large bowl with 1 tbsp of starch, 1 tbsp ghee/butter, and 1/4 tsp pepper
Stir until chicken is completely coated
Heat a large pan over medium heat
Cook chicken for about 5 minutes, until starting to
brown, but not cooked all of the way
Remove from pan and set aside
Leave the gunk in the pan- it adds flavor!
Thinly slice peppers and onions
Add peppers and onions to pan
Sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper to flavor
Cook until slightly soft, but don’t overcook- veggies
should still have a little crunch to them!
Add sauce and chicken
Cook until begins to thicken and chicken cooks all the way, about 5 minutes
Get pineapple, peas, and scallions ready…
Cut pineapple into small bite-size squares and separate green
scallions from the white (this shouldn’t be laborious- just casually
split them up if you can, no worries if it’s a pain- it won’t make too big of a difference)
Add peas, pineapple, and white parts of scallions
The green parts are for garnish 🙂
Let cook for a few more minutes, until everything is mixed and warm
Serve over rice and enjoy!!
