Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry

Source: Our Best Bites, with modifications by me

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons cornstarch*
1/2 cup cold water*
1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained and juices reserved*
6 Tablespoons ketchup*
2 Tablespoons soy sauce*
4 Tablespoons brown sugar*
2 teaspoon rice vinegar (we just had regular white vinegar and it was fine)*

3-4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs diced into 1 inch pieces
(you could also use pork tenderloin, or sliced boneless pork chops)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I substituted about 1 teaspoon ground ginger because I didn't have any fresh)
3 cups broccoli florets (I probably used more - just didn't really measure - plus, I like broccoli)
1/2 medium bell pepper, stemmed , seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch squares
1/2 medium onion, diced
2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced (I liked the pop of color the carrots gave)
hot cooked white or brown rice

* the amounts shown here are actually doubled from the original recipe - we like ours saucy! - so adjust to your preferences

Directions:
Start cooking your rice so it will be ready.

Combine cornstarch and water in a medium sized bowl and stir to dissolve.  Add the reserved pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar to the bowl and stir to combine.

Heat 2-3 teaspoons of the oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken, salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger.  Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked and no longer pink, 3-4 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm.

Add the remaining 1-2 teaspoons oil to the pan and add the broccoli, bell pepper, onion and carrot.  Stir-fry over medium-high heat until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the broccoli is bright green, 3-5 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan and add the pineapple chunks and sauce mixture.  Bring to a simmer and cook until everything is heated through and the sauce has thickened, 1-2 minutes.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over the hot cooked rice.  If desired, top with sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro or parsley.

Serves 4 (or more like 6 if you’ve got some kiddos in the mix) - (for us, it lasted for dinner plus lunch for each of us for the next couple of days - there was lots, which is NOT a bad thing!)

Notes:
We like our sweet and sour around here.  I loved the addition of the broccoli to this dish.  I also loved the ginger with the chicken.  And I REALLY loved the sauce - our other sweet and sour recipe was good, but it was really, really vinegar-y.  This one is not.  One day Gregg commented about his lunch of leftovers that it smelled like he had Panda Express sitting next to him at his desk.  Quite the compliment, I'd say.  :)