The feeling you get when you're eating Chinese takeout is kind of strange, isn't it? It's part excitement and part self-hatred. Part, "I'm way too full to continue eating," and part, "I'll just eat that delicious egg roll they threw in and then I'm done. Oh, and a bit more rice. And I can't not eat a fortune cookie, come on."
And as the old chestnut goes, after all of that-- after you've eaten yourself into a pants-unbuttoned, groaning, miserable lump of lamenting your lack of self control-- you still wind up starving and stuffing your face with the contents of your styrofoam-packaged leftovers within the hour. Is there a word for this occurance? Can we call it "The Chinese Takeout Phe-nomnomnom-enon?"
(Ok, maybe it's not my best pun. You dim sum, you lose sum.)
So I've been thinking, what if you could indulge in your favorite Chinese food without the guilt? Many takeout orders can be broken down into simple recipes that home cooks could whip up on a weeknight, without dropping a ton of money or taking in a ton of calories. That all sounds pretty good to me, so I've decided to do it for the rest of September! I'll be posting easy, inexpensive, and healthier versions of Chinese takeout dishes and other fast food favorites until November rolls around.
To start it all off, I had to go with Sweet and Sour Chicken.
Sweet and Sour Chicken was the first Chinese takeout dish that I ever routinely ordered. The tangy, sugary sauce, the coated chicken, the peppers, onions, and pineapple, they all had me mystified. It was so different than the other takeout dishes, yet so perfect for a kid with a sweet tooth and a chicken obsession. But then I moved, and I couldn't find a Chinese place that sold Sweet and Sour Chicken the way I liked anymore. Instead, I got fluffy fried pieces of chicken with a side of orange sauce. No vegetables. No pineapple. Just the Chinese takeout version of chicken nuggets. Bor-ing.
15 years later, and I'm finally getting around to making Sweet and Sour Chicken myself, the way I like, but significantly healthier. A light dusting of cornstarch, a conservative amount of oil, and a little less sugar all makes a big difference in shaving off some of the calories from what you'd normally get in your takeout bag. It's easy to make, and honestly tastes better than the takeout version!
There are some surprising ingredients here that you wouldn't expect to see in Chinese food. The first is pineapple, which we already talked about, but there's also ketchup! Yes, ketchup. As someone who hates ketchup, it took a lot for me to concede that it is actually a necessary ingredient. But don't worry, the finished product does not taste like ketchup. Don't let it scare you away.
This Sweet and Sour Chicken takes 28 minutes to make, which is probably less time than it'd take for your order to be delivered! Plus, it's only 367 calories per 10 ounce serving (without rice, according to caloriecount.com). Add in a bit of rice, and you have a great, big, filling meal for about 500 calories!
When you try this Sweet and Sour Chicken, don't forget to take a photo and tag it with #hostthetoast on Instagram or Twitter! I can't wait to see yours!
Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
- Kosher salt
- ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
- ½ large white onion, cut into chunks
- 1 (6 oz) can pineapple chunks with juice
- Rice, to serve
- Green onion, sliced, to serve
Instructions
- Season the chicken chunks with salt and place into a large freezer bag. Pour in ⅓ cup of cornstarch and seal the freezer bag. Shake well and toss to coat the chicken pieces in an even, light coat of cornstarch. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 cup cold water, the sugar, vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Using tongs, remove the chicken pieces from the freezer bag, shake off any excess cornstarch, and place the chicken in the skillet. Brown the chicken on all sides, and then remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Add the onion and pepper chunks to the skillet and cook until slightly softened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce mixture and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the canned pineapple chunks and juice. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the skillet and cook together for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thickened.
- Serve warm over rice and garnish with green onion.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 13 mins
Jesse says
Great meal - I just made and ate is sans pineapple (I didn't have any and I am lazy so...). It was fantastic. Found this through Reddit btw.
Keep it up!
Cheers
Ida says
Tried it and it was great! I used flour on the chicken as I ran out of cornstarch and it made no difference. I did ease up a little on the sugar. Both my husband and I said "we should add cashews the next time"! Great recipe, looking forward to trying more.
Morgan says
I love the idea of adding cashews, and I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!
Frl. Bummelei says
Just prepared this amazing dish and I love it! It tastes so much better than the take-out version and it is easily cooked, so I am definitely repeating the savoury home-made experience! Omnom...
Ali says
I made this recipe last week and it came out great.
Sheena says
Tried it. Was easy and the familsy loved it. Only complaint said I didnt cook enough!!!
Nancy C Bricks says
Made it tonight. Had no pineapple juice but it didn't matter.Used apple cider vinegar.
OMG IT IS THE BEST. WILL ALWAYS USE THIS RECIPE.
Morgan says
I'm so glad to hear it, Nancy! =)
Karen says
I have been looking for the PERFECT recipe for sweet and sour chicken and this is it! Thank you. The only problem I had was to choose a pan that was not large enough. Easily fixed tho.
Morgan says
I'm so glad to hear that you liked the sweet and sour chicken so much, Karen! Thank you for commenting!
Steve (GA) says
Morgan: You outdid yourself with this one. Made it last night for dinner. Substituted chicken thighs for chicken breast and reduced sugar to 2 1/2 tablespoons. No need to order out anymore. Simple and fast..
Morgan says
That's great to hear, Steve! =) Thank you for letting me know!
Beverly Hawley says
I made it tonight for my new hubby. 69 years young and have been married to this sweet man 3 months. We love it.
Peggie says
Yum
Sharon says
DELISH!!
Sheri U. says
Good but a little too sweet. Will cut down on the sugar next time
Amanda says
I don't normally do reviews , unless it's GREAT ! As good as in restaurants.
My husband and I both loved it.
Thank you
Pamela says
The whole family loved it. Delicious!
Jean says
This is very good. I did cut back on the sugar added water chestnuts and a few red pepper flakes because I like spicy. I didn’t have green peppers so I subbed yellow peppers. The rest was just the way it was written. Will make again.
Nancy colburn says
I just made it Its delish I love it
Donna says
This is delicious even though I forgot the ketchup. In fact, I'm having leftovers of it tonight. Thanks for yummy recipe
Ak says
This recipe has always been my “go-to” for sweet and sour chicken. My family absolutely loves it.
Jim says
I've made this a few times with
both breasts and thighs. Turned out great every time. Tonight I made it with chunks of pork roast. It's the sauce! I can't wait to try it with shrimp.