Sweet and sour chicken with peppers and pineapple

Name: Sweet and sour chicken with peppers and pineapple
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Chicken breast 1.5 lbs; Red peppers 2.3 cups; Pineapple already cleaned 1.3 cups; Chives to taste; Extra virgin olive oil 2 spoonfuls; Sugar ¾ cup; White wine vinegar 10 tbsp; Water 3.5 oz; Tomato paste 4 tsp; Potato starch 4 tsp; Water 2 tsp; Water 0.8 cup; Type 00 flour 1 ¼ cup; Fine salt to taste; Peanut seed oil 4 ¼ cups

Lactose Free

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Peppers and Pineapple takes its cue from sweet and sour pork, a staple of traditional Chinese cooking — same dense, glossy vinegar-and-sugar sauce, same contrast between crispy batter and bright acidity — with chicken standing in as the main protein. That swap changes the texture and lightens the richness slightly, but the underlying logic holds: battered chicken pieces fried until genuinely crunchy, then pulled into a sauce tight enough to coat every surface without turning the crust soft.

The fresh peppers and cubed pineapple aren't decorative; they add color, a little crunch, and a sweetness that pulls against the vinegar so that each bite lands a bit differently from the last. The sauce is the element that ties everything together. A reduction of vinegar and sugar, it finishes dense and glossy, balancing the fruit, the vegetables, and the crispy chicken into one coherent dish without flattening any of them. Getting that balance right — enough acidity to cut through the batter, enough sweetness to round out the peppers — is what makes this sweet and sour chicken recipe work as a complete plate rather than a collection of components.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken breast 1.5 lbs (650 g)

Red peppers 2.3 cups (350 g)

Pineapple 1.3 cups (230 g) - already cleaned

Chives to taste

Extra virgin olive oil 2 spoonfuls

For the sweet-and-sour sauce: Sugar ¾ cup (150 g); White wine vinegar 10 tbsp (150 g); Water 3.5 oz (100 g); Tomato paste 4 tsp (20 g); Potato starch 4 tsp (10 g); Water 2 tsp

For the batter: Water 0.8 cup (200 g); Type 00 flour 1 ¼ cup (150 g); Fine salt to taste

For frying: Peanut seed oil 4 ¼ cups (1 l)

Preparation

How to prepare Sweet and sour chicken with peppers and pineapple

To make the sweet and sour chicken with peppers and pineapple, first prepare the ingredients: remove any cartilage or small bones from the chicken breast 1, then cut it into cubes of about 1 inch 2. Clean the pepper and cut it into chunks of the same size 3.

Finally remove the base and crown of the pineapple 4, then slice it, remove the skin 5 and cut about 1 1/2 cups (about 8 oz / 230 g) of flesh into cubes, again about 1 inch in size 6.

Move on to the batter: put the flour in a bowl and add the salt 7, then pour the water in a thin stream while whisking 8 until you obtain a homogeneous, lump-free mixture 9.

Set the batter aside and prepare the sweet-and-sour sauce: in a small saucepan put the sugar together with the water 10 and the white wine vinegar 11, then turn the heat to medium-high and dissolve the sugar. Now add the tomato paste 12, whisk to combine and cook for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the potato starch with 2 teaspoons (2 tsp) of water in a small bowl 13. Add the mixture to the sauce little by little while stirring 14. Let it thicken on the heat for a few moments, then set aside 15.

You're ready to fry: heat the oil to 338°F (170°C), then coat the chicken pieces with the batter, letting the excess drip off 16. Immerse a few pieces at a time in the hot oil 17 and fry for 3-4 minutes. Once golden, drain the pieces on paper towels and set aside 18.

After frying the chicken, heat a wok well, then add the oil, the peppers 19 and the pineapple 20. Stir-fry on high heat for 8-9 minutes. Add the fried chicken pieces 21 and toss everything together for a couple of minutes.

At this point pour the sweet-and-sour sauce into the pan 22 and combine it by tossing briefly. Turn off the heat and season with chopped chives 23, then your sweet and sour chicken with peppers and pineapple is ready to be served 34!