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a serving of sweet and sour chicken stir fry on a white plate set over a gray napkin with chopsticks on the side
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Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry

This quick and easy Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry has chicken, bell peppers, onions and pineapple in a super flavorful sweet and tangy sauce. Perfect for a weeknight dinner, it's even better than takeout!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Servings: 4
Estimated Calories: 424
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut into about 1-inch bite-sized pieces (or boneless skinless chicken breasts)
  • 1½ teaspoons baking soda, optional (omit if you won't be velveting the chicken)
  • 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in 100% pineapple juice
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons extra-light olive oil, divided (or vegetable, canola or another neutral-flavored oil suitable for high heat)
  • 2 cups seeded and chopped bell peppers, about 1-inch pieces (any color; I do a combination of red and green)
  • 2 cups peeled and chopped onions, about 1-inch pieces
  • 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions, or to taste (for topping)

Instructions

Velvet the Chicken (optional)

  • Put the chicken in a medium bowl and sprinkle it with the baking soda; toss until well combined. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes (no longer; otherwise, you risk it breaking down too much, resulting in a mushy texture).
    While you're waiting for the chicken to velvet, move on to making the sauce and prepping your veggies and other ingredients.
  • Place the chicken in a colander and rinse well with cold water to remove the baking soda. Transfer the chicken to a plate and pat dry with paper towels; set aside.

Make the Sweet and Sour Sauce

  • Drain the pineapple in a colander set over a medium bowl to catch the juice; set the pineapple aside.
    If you happen to make the sauce after rinsing the chicken and you plan to use the same colander, make sure you clean the colander thoroughly before draining the pineapple to prevent cross-contamination.
  • To the pineapple juice in the bowl, add the ketchup, rice vinegar, light brown sugar, and cornstarch and whisk until well combined; set aside.

Make the Stir-Fry

  • In a large skillet or wok (I use a 12-inch skillet), heat one tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat.
  • Add the chicken and season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir-fry just until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside.
  • Continuing with the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the peppers and onions; season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir-fry until the veggies are just crisp-tender.
  • Add the garlic and ginger to the skillet. Stir-fry for one minute.
  • Return the chicken to the skillet along with the pineapple and the sweet and sour sauce; stir to combine.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
  • Serve as-is or over hot cooked rice (I serve mine over basmati or jasmine rice). Top each serving with green onions.

Recipe Notes

  • The key for finishing this dish in 35 minutes is to make the sauce and prep the veggies and other ingredients while the chicken is being velveted. 
  • If you are going to serve this over rice, get that going first, as it takes about 20 minutes (for white rice). Then move on to the other steps while the rice is cooking.
  • Velveting tenderizes the chicken and helps prevent it from becoming tough and dry, which can happen rather quickly with white meat chicken. This step is optional but recommended. 
  • Don't use pineapple in syrup; it will make the dish too sweet.
  • Estimated calories shown are for the stir-fry only and do not include rice.
  • Please refer to the post for additional information and tips, step-by-step photos, and information on substitutions, variations, storing and reheating leftovers, and serving suggestions.
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