Sweet and Sour Chicken

One of my favorite things to splurge on is PF Chang’s. If you’ve never been, it’s the chain restaurant version of Chinese Food. Not only is it amazingly delicious, but it has a cool environment. Plus any place that starts you off with dipping sauces is okay in my book.

Whenever I would go I always ordered sweet and sour chicken (along with several other dishes… I like variety). The sauce it comes with is amazing, like a duck sauce. I used to put duck sauce on EVERYTHING before changing my eating habits.

Lately I had been craving this lovely dish, so I decided to make my own mock version of it, but healthy! I was pleasantly surprised that the sauce came out pretty close to the original version, and really good too. I added water chestnuts to mine just because I love them in Chinese food dishes. The crunch is so great!

For this recipe you will need: 

  • 2 chicken breasts, chopped into cubes
  • 1/2 medium sized onion, chopped
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup of pineapple, chopped
  • 1 can of water chestnuts
  • 1/2 Tablespoon of sesame seeds for sprinkling

For the sauce:

  • 1/3 cup +1 Tablespoon of sugar free apricot preserves
  • 3 Tablespoons of organic ketchup or Simply Heinz (what I use)
  • 1/4 cup of rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup of natural apple juice (no extra added sugars)
  • 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon of guar gum (or any thickening agent)
  • pepper to taste

(Makes 2 servings)

Start by cooking your chicken breast. Chop 2 breasts and place on medium heat in a pan

Takes about 10 minutes or so
Takes about 10 minutes or so

While you are waiting for this to cook, chop your other veggies and prepare the sauce. Mix everything into a measuring cup and whisk together

Perfect color
Perfect color

In a separate pan, cook the onions and pepper until slightly browned

I cooked for about 6 minutes on medium heat, I wanted them soft, not charred
I cooked for about 6 minutes on medium heat, I wanted them soft, not charred

Add the chicken breast

Sorry for the little bit of steam
Sorry for the little bit of steam

Then add the sauce, turn to low-medium heat

Stir this up for an additional 3 minutes
Stir this up for an additional 3-5 minutes

Then add the pineapple. I do this last so the pineapple doesn’t break down. I want a bite to mine.

Pineapple in!
Pineapple in!

Stir for another 5 minutes until everything is heated through

Yummy yummy ready for my tummy!
Yummy yummy ready for my tummy!

All that’s left to do is plate and eat

You can also add brown rice to this. I was going to, but I didn't have quick rice and it took too long to cook
You can also add brown rice to this. I was going to, but I didn’t have quick rice and it took too long to cook the regular, I was too hungry!

Nutritional info: 238 calories, 3.6 grams of fat, 31 grams of carbs, 43.5 grams of protein!

To compare, the PF Chang’s version (without rice) is 840 calories, 44 grams of fat, 71 carbs, and 40 grams of protein. All around mine beats theirs!

Up close and beautiful!
Up close and beautiful!

The pineapple really goes well with the sweet and sour sauce. It has a bit of a tang, but is sweet at the same time. I just love that I came pretty close to the restaurant version without the extra fat and calories 🙂

This would be the perfect dish for a date night in!

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken

Happy eating…

XOXO With a Cherry On Top,

-Minnie

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2 Comments

  1. Waste of a Day | Skinny Minnie Moves

    […] consisted of my last batch of sweet and sour chicken, and the rest of my bok choy salad. The combo was excellent. A nice asian flare for lunchie […]

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