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Lighter Sweet and Sour Chicken
5 from 6 votes

Lighter Sweet and Sour Chicken

Deliciously flavorful sweet and sour chicken without the deep frying! Bite size chicken pieces are tossed with cornstarch and seared then veggies are sautéed until tender crisp, and to finish both are tossed with flavorful sweet and tangy sauce. So tasty!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 5
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp olive oil extra light or vegetable oil
  • 1 Tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp peeled, minced ginger
  • 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp chicken broth divided, low-sodium
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp honey
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar packed
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp oyster sauce
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
Chicken
  • 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast diced into 1-inch pieces, boneless, skinless
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 egg large, whites
  • white pepper or black pepper
  • salt or black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil extra light or vegetable oil
Veggie mixture
  • 2 tsp olive oil extra light or vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 bell peppers diced into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 1 onion diced into 3/4-inch pieces, small, yellow
  • 1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks drain if using canned, fresh or canned

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. For the sauce: Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and saute 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the chicken broth, rice vinegar, honey, brown sugar, tomato paste, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. 
  2. Season lightly with salt and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together remaining 2 Tbsp chicken broth with 1 Tbsp cornstarch, pour into sauce mixture. 
  3. Return to heat and bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, and allow to boil until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. For the chicken: In a medium mixing bowl whisk together cornstarch, egg whites, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper until well blended and slightly frothy. Add in chicken and toss to evenly coat. 
  5. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large non-stick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken (work to space evenly apart) and cook, turning pieces occasionally, until cooked through and outsides are golden brown, about 7 minutes.
  6.  Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat process with remaining 1 Tbsp oil and chicken.
  7. For the veggie mixture: While the chicken is cooking, in a large skillet heat 2 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and onions and saute until tender, about 6 - 8 minutes, adding in pineapple during last minute.
  8. Return chicken on plate to saute pan with chicken. Add veggie mixture and sauce to chicken. Toss to evenly coat. Serve warm over white or brown rice.