Stir-Fried Chicken, Pineapple, and Red Onion in Sweet & Sour Sauce

When we were undergraduates, there was a little Chinese buffet near campus that we ate at nearly every Friday night. I am not kidding. Sometimes we'd bring other people with us. Sometimes it would be just us, but you could make a pretty good bet that you'd find us there on any random Friday night. It was to the point that when my husband (then boyfriend) would walk in, the lady in charge would ask him if there was anything he wanted them to ADD to the buffet :)

Right now, it has actually been a long time since we've eaten at any Chinese place. Nonetheless, as I've mentioned several times previously, we love to make it at home. Stir-frys make great weeknight meals as they usually come together pretty quick. This one is from the cookbook, The Best Light Recipe, so it gets bonus points for being pretty healthy too. There aren't a ton of vegetables in here, but like most stir-frys, you could probably add whatever you have hanging in your fridge in the mix. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Stir-Fried Chicken, Pineapple, and Red Onion in Sweet & Sour Sauce
Adapted from The Best Light Recipe

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into uniform pieces
2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. dry sherry
3 medium garlic cloves (~1 Tbsp), minced or pressed through a garlic press 
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
3 scallions, white parts, minced and green parts cut into 1/4-inch lengths
4 tsp. peanut or vegetable oil
2 small red onions, halved and cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges
2 cups fresh pineapple cut into 1-inch pieces (or 1 lg. can pineapple chunks)
3-4 servings brown rice, prepared according to pkg directions  

Sauce:
6 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
6 Tbsp. juice from 1-2 oranges (or pineapple juice)
6 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt

Start cooking rice according to package directions if needed. Toss the chicken with the soy sauce and sherry in a medium bowl. Let the chicken marinate while you make the sauce and prepare the vegetables. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the sauce ingredients. Set aside. 

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, scallion whites, and 2 teaspoons of the oil. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up clumps, until lightly browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl. 

Add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the pan and return to high heat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the pineapple and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. 

Clear the center of the pan and add the garlic mixture. Cook, mashing the garlic mixture into the pan with the back of a spatula, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Stir the garlic mixture into the vegetables. Add the scallion greens and chicken and toss to combine. Whisk the sauce to recombine, then add it to the pan and bring to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and toss until all the ingredients are well coated with sauce and sizzling hot. Serve immediately with the cooked rice.