Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry
⏱ 10 min prep · 🍳 10 min · 🍽 2
Cube the chicken breast, dust it in cornstarch and egg, and pan-fry until golden and crisp — about ten minutes total. While it rests on a paper towel, the sauce comes together in the same skillet, so cleanup is one pan and one bowl.
The sauce leans on pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce: sweet and tangy, no heat built in. If your family likes a kick, stir chili flakes in at the very end and keep a small bowl on the side so everyone can spoon on their own amount. Serve over steamed rice or noodles.
This recipe is written for 2 servings. Double the chicken, sauce, and sides and it stretches to a normal dinner for four, with enough left over for tomorrow's lunchbox.
Ingredients
- 1.000 løk
- 3.000 paprika
- 1.000 krydder (diverse)
- 2.000 egg
- 15.000 ml nøytral olje
- 5.000 ml revet fersk ingefær
- 227.000 g ananasskiver i sirup
- 1.000 boks mais
- 45.000 ml sukker
- 30.000 ml eplecidereddik
- 600.000 g kyllingbryst
- 60.000 ml soyasaus
- 75.000 ml ananasjuice
Instructions
Skjær kylling i 2,5 cm terninger.
Hakk løk og paprika i biter, finhakk chili, hell av ananasjuice i en bolle og skjær ananasskivene i mindre biter.
Bland sukker, soyasaus, eplecidereddik, buljong og ananasjuice til sursøt saus.
Ha maisenna i en plastpose med kyllingbitene, rist til jevnt dekket, og dypp deretter i pisket egg.
Varm olje i wok eller panne og stek kyllingen raskt på alle sider på høy varme, legg deretter på kjøkkenpapir.
Stek løk og paprika til de er lett møre, tilsett chili, ingefær og ananasbitene.
Hell i sausblandingen, kok opp og tykn med maisenna rørt ut i kaldt vann.
Legg kyllingen tilbake i pannen og la den trekke i 2–3 minutter.
Server med ris eller nudler, og topp gjerne med frisk chili, koriander eller sesamfrø.
This is the dinner to reach for on nights when takeout is tempting but you don't have the budget or the wait — the stir-fry itself is done in ten minutes and there's only one pan to scrub afterward. It's also a solid pick for households where someone is wary of "Asian food" in general: sweet and sour sauce reads closer to a tangy ketchup than anything unfamiliar, and the cubed chicken is easy for a picky eater to count out and negotiate over. Keep the chili in its own little bowl and let the adults spoon it on themselves, and you'll skip the table debate entirely. Leftovers hold up well enough in a lunchbox that this is one of the few stir-fries worth cooking in a double batch on purpose.
FAQ
Can I make the sweet and sour sauce ahead of time?
Yes — the sauce keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the pan before you add the chicken and vegetables, so all that's left on dinner night is the frying. If you want it ready even further ahead, make a double batch and freeze half.
Can I use a different protein instead of chicken?
Pork loin and turkey breast both work in the same recipe, cut into the same roughly 1-inch cubes and coated the same way in cornstarch and egg. Shrimp is a good option if you're skipping meat altogether, but it only needs 2–3 minutes in the pan at the very end. Steer clear of fattier cuts — they tend to turn chewy in such a short cook time.
How do I make this milder for kids who don't like spice?
The base sauce is mild on its own — any heat comes from the chili added in the final step, and you can leave that out entirely or serve it separately for the adults at the table. Cut the pineapple and bell pepper a little smaller for younger kids so it's easier to eat with a fork. Many kids also prefer it without fresh cilantro on top.
How long do leftovers keep, and can I freeze this?
Leftovers keep 2–3 days in the fridge in an airtight container and pack well into a lunchbox the next day. Freezing the finished dish isn't ideal, since the coated chicken loses its crispness and the sauce can separate once thawed. If you want to freeze something, freeze the sauce on its own and fry fresh chicken next time.
Can I use fresh pineapple instead of canned?
Fresh pineapple works in place of canned — just add a little extra sugar, since fresh pineapple is usually less sweet than the syrup-packed kind. Diced mango is another swap that plays well with the sweet and sour sauce. You can also use orange juice instead of pineapple juice if that's what's in your fridge.
Does this fit into a busy weeknight meal plan?
With about 10 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of cooking, this is one of the few dinners that survives a day of school pickups and after-work errands. Cube the chicken and chop the vegetables the night before or over the weekend, and dinner itself is just frying and saucing. Slot it into the meal plan on whichever day you already know will be the most hectic.