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This Pineapple Chicken is made with crispy pineapple chicken covered in a sweet and tangy pineapple sauce. This Chinese Pineapple Chicken is a crowd pleaser!
One of my most requested dinners for my family is my Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe. Everyone goes crazy for it and it consistently receives 5-star reviews from all of you. So I wanted to tweak that recipe just a bit and make a Chinese Pineapple Chicken version with fresh pineapple. It blew us away!
It is crispy coated chicken tossed in a sweet pineapple sauce and topped with fresh pineapple, snow peas, and green onions.
Ingredients:
This pineapple chicken is tossed in a homemade pineapple sauce that is both sweet and tangy.
- Chicken Breast — I suggest using boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel and then generously sprinkle with salt and toss to coat.
- Eggs — this acts as a binder to allow the flour and cornstarch mixture to stick to the chicken.
- Cornstarch and Flour — I prefer to mix cornstarch and flour for the perfect coating.
- Salt — the chicken needs to be seasoned so you don’t just rely on the sauce for the flavor.
- Oil — this needs to be heated in a pot or skillet to cook the chicken in.
Pineapple Sauce:
This fresh pineapple sauce can be made ahead of time so you can focus solely on cooking the chicken.
- Pineapple Juice — I suggest using 100% pure pineapple juice with no extra sugar added. Pineapple is sweet enough on its own so I suggest using no-sugar added pineapple juice.
- Sugar — this helps to make that perfect sweet and sour sauce. If you prefer sauces less sweet, you can reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup.
- Rice Vinegar — this helps to balance out the sauce and add some acidity to it.
- Soy Sauce — this adds umami flavor to the sauce and is an important component.
- Ginger — this recipe calls for ground ginger since that is what is usually readily available but feel free to use fresh ginger. I would suggest using 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger.
- Garlic — use fresh minced garlic if at all possible. If you need to use garlic powder, use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Red Chili Flakes — this adds a touch of spice and heat to the sauce. If you like spicy sauces, add more red chili flakes.
- Cornstarch — this helps to thicken the sauce to help it to coat the chicken.
Garnish:
- Fresh Pineapple — generously garnish that crispy pineapple chicken with fresh pineapple. For extra pineapple flavor, cut up some pineapple into small pieces and stir into the pineapple sauce.
- Green Onions — to add some freshness to the pineapple chicken, sprinkle with some sliced green onions.
- Snow Peas — add any of your favorite vegetables like snow peas or peppers.
Top Tip:
Make the pineapple sauce ahead of time to make the dinner prep so much quicker and easier.
How to make Crispy Pineapple Chicken:
- Cut boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Dredge the chicken in whisked eggs and cornstarch and flour mixture until very coated. Place on a plate.
- To make your homemade pineapple sauce, place pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat. Add cornstarch and water and cook until thickened. Stir in fresh pineapple pieces. If using snow peas, add them to the sauce.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When frying foods, it is so helpful to use a thermometer. Let the oil heat up to 350 degrees. Once the oil is ready, in batches, cook chicken for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Toss crispy chicken with the sweet pineapple sauce. Top with fresh pineapple pieces and green onions. Serve immediately.
Substitutions and Variations:
If you don’t have rice vinegar on hand, you can use plain white vinegar instead.
If you want to make this Crispy Pineapple Chicken gluten-free, you can use all cornstarch for the chicken and substitute tamari for the soy sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions:
I suggest a neutral oil such as canola, vegetable, or corn oil for cooking the chicken.
Absolutely! I suggest adding snowpeas, red, yellow, or orange peppers, mushrooms, green onions, and any of your favorite vegetables.
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Crispy Pineapple Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 4 Chicken Breasts
- 3 large Eggs
- 1/3 cup Cornstarch
- 1/2 cup Flour
- Salt
- Oil (for frying)
Pineapple Sauce:
- 1 cup Pineapple Juice
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Ginger
- 2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Garnish:
- 2 cups Fresh Pineapple (cut into small pieces)
- Snow Peas
- Green Onions (sliced)
Instructions
- Cut boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Place flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or pie plate. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir. Whisk eggs in shallow dish. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then flour mixture. Place on plate.
- In a medium pot, add pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes. Heat for 3 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 Tablespoon of water to form a paste. Add to pineapple sauce and whisk together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of pineapple (if desired). If using snow peas, add them to the sauce.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When frying foods, it is so helpful to use a thermometer. Let the oil heat up to 350 degrees. Once the oil is ready, in batches, cook chicken for about 2-3 minutes, turning often, until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Toss crispy chicken with the sweet pineapple sauce. Top with fresh pineapple pieces and green onions. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
OMG!!!! My husband and I made this tonight and it was so wonderful!!! We only made fresh Asparagus with it but next time we might add rice. He said…Make sure you write this down!
Yummy!!!
Your asian inspired chicken recipes are always perfect. Still sweet sour is my fav of them (well its almost same plus ketchup).
Made this tonight and it was a smashing hit with everyone! My husband, who usually never goes for seconds, went for THIRDS! My girls said, “this is one for the family recipe book!”
Oh my gosh!!! Made this tonight and it is sooooooooooooo good! I could literally drink the sauce. My husband kept saying “this is really good.” Yes I know. This is definitely a keeper.
Thanks Melissa
So easy to make and so flavorful! Definitely a keeper!
I agree…this is every bit as good as your Orange Chicken. I like it a little bit better only because I love Pineapple. If I ever have a little bit of trouble sleeping I will eat a slice of Pineapple. It really helps me sleep…
Fast to make and fantastic tasting. I added some zucchini. Every bit as delicious as your orange chicken recipe.