QUICK SUMMARY
This easy sweet and sour chicken is Mama Z's family-favorite, no-breading version of the takeout classic. Juicy chicken, pineapple, colorful vegetables, and a homemade sweet-and-tangy sauce come together in one skillet for a flexible dinner you can serve over brown rice, quinoa, lettuce, or roasted vegetables.
The chicken needs at least 4 hours to marinate, so plan ahead. Once it is ready, the cooking itself is straightforward: cook the chicken, sauté the vegetables and pineapple, add the sauce, and fold everything together.
The three recipe cards below are preserved exactly as published, including Mama Z's Sweet and Sour Chicken, Christmas Cookie Blend, and Healthy Homemade Ketchup.
My Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken is a family favorite. It features juicy meat topped with a sweet and tangy sauce, and you can serve it in all kinds of ways. My family loves it over a salad or as a shish-kabob with roasted vegetables.
If you're craving Chinese takeout, serve it over organic brown basmati rice or quinoa.
This recipe also has a special place in my heart. When I was growing up, each of us girls had a budget and the task of cooking dinner once a week. It taught us how to stretch our resources and make tasty food for the family. This was my favorite dinner to cook, and it was always such a hit!
Table of Contents
Make Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken
This recipe may sound fancy, but it's pretty straightforward. You should note that your chicken needs at least 4 hours to marinate. The best part? There's no breading involved, so you get to skip a step and go straight to the juicy chicken, vegetables, pineapple, and glossy sweet-and-sour sauce.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2-4 tablespoons organic toasted sesame oil OR 2 tablespoons coconut oil extra-virgin AND unrefined OR 2 tablespoons grass-fed organic sea-salted butter
- 2-4 organic AND free range chicken breasts, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- Organic vegetables (carrots, celery, new potatoes, pea pods, red AND/OR green peppers, water chestnuts, etc.)
- 1 cup fresh organic pineapple, cut into ½-inch pieces
Marinade
- ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- 1 tablespoon organic liquid aminos OR 1 tablespoon organic gluten-free tamari sauce
- 1 tablespoon organic non-GMO cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon biodynamic white wine, Mirin, OR organic dry cooking sherry
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup, organic OR organic coconut sugar OR organic maple sugar OR Christmas Cookie Blend
- 4 tablespoons Healthy Homemade Ketchup OR organic unsweetened ketchup
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- 4 tablespoons fresh organic pineapple juice OR purified OR distilled water
- 1 tablespoon organic non-GMO cornstarch
Supplies
- Large skillet OR wok
Instructions
For the marinade:
- Mix the sea salt, liquid aminos, cornstarch, and white wine in a small bowl. Place the chicken in a glass dish and pour the marinade on top. It should fully cover the chicken.
- Gently stir to coat the meat thoroughly. Marinate overnight or at least 4 hours.
For the sauce:
- Combine the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, ketchup, sea salt, and pineapple juice in a separate bowl. Whisk in the cornstarch. Set aside.
For the Sweet and Sour Chicken:
- Preheat a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil, then sauté the chicken until cooked thoroughly. Remove from the pan and place in a large glass serving boil. Drain the oil. I reserve the oil and put it back in the pan for the vegetables because it has such good flavor.
- Sauté the veggies and pineapple until just tender.
- When the vegetables are nearly done, add the sweet and sour sauce.
- Cook until the sauce looks like a glaze.
- Fold in the chicken and serve over brown rice or lettuce.
Christmas Cookie Blend (Vegan)
Servings
Ingredients
- 6 ounces organic coconut sugar
- 11-16 ounces organic date sugar (based on your available container sizes)
- 6 ounces organic maple sugar
Instructions
- Place the coconut sugar, date sugar, and maple sugar in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Shake to mix thoroughly.
- Place mixture in a blender and blend until powdery. I prefer milling this recipe in a Vitamix dry goods container. I start blending on one, then slowly increase until the mixture is fully blended. Then, I open the blender, stir, and repeat the process. The final color of your product will differ based on the brand of sweetener you use. Use in place of regular sugar in all your favorite baked goods. Store in a glass jar.
Healthy Homemade Ketchup (Vegan)
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 6-8-ounce can organic tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup, organic OR Christmas Cookie Blend, OR 2 tablespoons organic coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- 1 teaspoon organic garlic granules OR 4 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 teaspoon organic onion powder
- 1 serving (⅟16 ) organic powdered stevia OR 1 dropperful plain liquid stevia
- ¼ teaspoon organic allspice
- ⅔ cup purified OR distilled water
- ⅛ teaspoon organic ground cayenne pepper (optional)
Supplies
- Blender OR food processor
Instructions
- Place the tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, stevia, allspice, purified water, and cayenne pepper (if using) in a food processor or blender. Blend until the mixture reaches the desired consistency. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 weeks in a tightly covered container.
Step One: Marinate the Chicken
Place the sea salt, liquid aminos, white wine, and cornstarch in a glass bowl and whisk to combine. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender. Add the chicken to the bowl (the marinade should cover all of the meat).
Gently stir to coat the meat thoroughly. Marinate overnight or at least 4 hours.
Step Two: Make the Sweet and Sour Sauce
Combine the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, ketchup, sea salt, and pineapple juice in a separate bowl. Whisk in the cornstarch or combine using an immersion blender. Set aside.
Step Three: Cook the Chicken
Preheat a deep skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add half of the sesame oil, then sauté the chicken until cooked thoroughly. Set aside.
For food safety, poultry should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (73.9°C) measured with a food thermometer before serving. See the USDA safe minimum internal temperature chart.
Step Four: Cook the Vegetables and Add Sauce
Add the rest of the sesame oil to the pan, then sauté the veggies and pineapple. I like to start with the vegetables that take the longest to cook, such as carrots and celery. I usually add the pineapple last.
When the vegetables are nearly done, add the sweet and sour sauce. Cook until the sauce looks like a glaze. Fold in the chicken and serve over brown rice or lettuce.
Recipe for Chinese Food Success
After making this recipe many times, I've learned a few tips that take this meal to a whole new level.
- If the marinade fully covers the meat, you've made enough. Depending on their size, a batch covers 2-4 single breasts. You may need to double your marinade if you're using larger chicken breasts. If you double your marinade, you must also double your sauce. No one wants dry chicken!
- When chopping your vegetables, cut them into pieces that are about the same size. I like to cut the carrots and celery at an angle to get flat, bigger chunks. This helps everything cook more evenly.
- Create new flavor combinations by using your favorite vegetables. We love carrots, celery, new potatoes, peppers, onions, and mushrooms.
- Canned new potatoes are one of my favorite additions, especially when I'm short on time. I cut larger potatoes in half, which works great for kids! I purchase organic potatoes that come in a BPA-free can. You can also use new baby potatoes from your garden. If you can't find organic potatoes, choose the best-quality option available to your family.
- I love using pineapple juice in this recipe, but I don't use concentrated versions with added sugar. If I know I'm making this dish, I purchase fresh-sliced pineapple from the store and use the juice gathered in the bottom of the container. If you don't have pineapple juice, you can use water. Either works great!
- My favorite rice is Lundberg brown basmati rice. If you have leftover rice, use it to make our delicious rice pudding!
Healthy Chicken Ingredients 101
This recipe may sound fancy, but it uses simple ingredients. I'm sure you have most of them in your pantry right now! Here's what you need to add to your shopping cart.
Organic and Free Range Chicken Breasts: Chicken is a versatile source of protein that works beautifully in this recipe. When possible, I look for organic, free-range birds because I want to pay attention to how our family's food was raised.
USDA organic poultry standards require 100% organic agricultural feed and outdoor access, while “free-range” is a separate animal-raising claim that producers must substantiate. I still like knowing the farm or producer behind the food whenever I can.
Organic Pineapple and Vegetables: A good variety of organic vegetables gives this dinner color, texture, and plenty of produce. One of the best things about this recipe is that you can customize it to fit whatever you have on hand.
Use broccoli, cauliflower, celery, onions, radishes, snow peas, or water chestnuts. The sky is the limit! I recommend using fresh pineapple chunks as well for a pop of sweetness. The pineapple releases its natural juice as the dish cooks, adding flavor.
Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt: We recommend using Colima sea salt because we love its flavor and hand-harvested, minimally processed tradition.
Sea salt and pink Himalayan salt are still primarily sodium chloride, so I don't rely on the trace minerals as a meaningful source of nutrition. I use these salts because of the way they taste and fit our cooking philosophy. If you don't have sea salt, you can use pink Himalayan salt.
Organic Liquid Aminos or Gluten-Free Tamari Sauce: Instead of traditional soy sauce, we use liquid aminos or gluten-free tamari for the deep, salty flavor this recipe needs.
Check the exact product label because “liquid aminos” can describe different products. Coconut aminos are soy-free, while some traditional liquid aminos are made from soy. Sodium also varies significantly by brand. If you use gluten-free tamari sauce, verify the label if you are cooking for someone who must strictly avoid gluten.
Organic Non-GMO Cornstarch: This ingredient thickens the sweet and sour sauce and gives it that glossy finish. If you're having trouble finding organic cornstarch, you can always find it online.
Sweetener: Many takeout-style sweet and sour sauces are heavily sweetened. This recipe is still delightfully sweet, but we use the sweeteners we keep in our own kitchen instead of white sugar. My favorite option is Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup.
Maple syrup is still an added sugar, so the reason I use it here is flavor and ingredient preference, not because it becomes sugar-free. A little goes a long way, especially since the pineapple adds natural sweetness.
Homemade Ketchup: My homemade ketchup is the base of the sweet and sour sauce. Don't let the thought of DIY condiments scare you! This recipe comes together in just a few minutes. You can even make it in advance!
If you prefer, you can always use organic, unsweetened ketchup.
