Pineapple Chicken
The extremely delicious pineapple chicken is here! This secret recipe can make you eat three bowls of rice directly. It is sweet and sour and appetizing. It is really delicious! Come and try it!
What is pineapple chicken?
pineapple chicken is a traditional Chinese dish. It belongs to Cantonese cuisine. It is a home-cooked dish in Guangdong area. The main ingredients are pineapple and chicken. Some green and red peppers and other ingredients will also be added to enrich the color of the dish.
The cooked pineapple chicken perfectly combines the fruity aroma of pineapple with the deliciousness of chicken. It is sweet and sour and delicious. It is a delicious dish loved by many people.
Why do I like this recipe?
I really super like this recipe. There are many reasons for liking it.
First of all, because the taste of pineapple chicken is very good. The tender chicken is paired with the sweet and sour pineapple. You can't stop eating one bite after another.
Secondly, pineapple chicken looks very delicate. The golden yellow pineapple and tender diced chicken, paired with brightly colored peppers, make people's appetite increase just by looking at them.
Finally, this dish is very simple to make, and the ingredients used are also common in life. It is especially suitable for beginners like me. You can learn it as soon as you learn it.
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Main ingredients
Chicken breast: The main ingredient for making pineapple chicken, providing meat and rich protein.
Pineapple flesh: One of the main ingredients, providing a sweet and sour and juicy taste.
Additional ingredients
Red pepper, green pepper: The main side dish, providing spiciness and bright colors to help increase the appetite of the dish.
Garlic cloves, scallions: Both have useful aromas and add flavor and aroma to the dish.
Ketchup: Provides a sweet and sour taste to the dish and gives the dish a bright color.
Cooking oil: Used for stir-frying to make the ingredients emit aroma better.
Water starch: Used for thickening to make the dish soup thick.
Salt: Basic condiment to increase the taste of the dish.
Sugar: Provides sweetness and helps adjust the sweetness of the dish and balance the taste.
Substitutes:
Chicken breast: Can be replaced by chicken thighs.
Pineapple flesh: Can be replaced by lemon or orange.
Red pepper, green pepper: Can be replaced by brightly colored carrots and yellow peppers.
Garlic cloves, scallions: Can be replaced by onions and coriander.
Ketchup: Can be replaced by tomato puree or tomato juice.
What part of chicken is better for making pineapple chicken?
For making pineapple chicken, you can use chicken breast or chicken thigh. The effects of both are very good.
If you want the meat of pineapple chicken to be tender and have a low fat content, then chicken breast is a good choice. Because the chicken breast has firm meat. After being cut into diced pieces, it is not easy to fall apart during the cooking process and can maintain the shape of the diced chicken well. Secondly, the taste of chicken breast is relatively light and can better absorb the taste of seasonings. It is very harmonious with the sweet and sour pineapple.
If you like a smooth texture, then chicken thigh is the best choice. Because chicken thigh has a high fat content and tender meat. The pineapple chicken made from it has a softer texture and does not feel dry when eaten.
At the same time, during the stir-frying process of chicken thighs, oil will be released, making the taste of pineapple chicken more fragrant. But before using chicken thighs, remove the bones and skin first.
Tips for Success
Choose fresh ingredients
Chicken breast: Choose fresh chicken breast without peculiar smell. Good chicken breast makes the dish more delicious.
Pineapple: Choose fresh pineapples with golden color. If there is blackening or unfreshness, it is not recommended to buy.
Green and red peppers: Choose green and red peppers with bright colors. The dishes made are more beautiful.
Chicken breast processing
After washing and cutting the chicken breast into diced pieces, it should be marinated first with salt, sugar and an appropriate amount of water starch to make the chicken breast more tender. Note that the marinating time is recommended to be more than 15 minutes to ensure that the chicken breast fully absorbs the sauce taste.
Frying chicken breast
When frying chicken breast, pay attention to the oil temperature. The oil temperature should be controlled at about 70% heat to avoid too high oil temperature and causing the chicken breast to burn.
After the chicken breast is put into the pot, stir quickly to make it heated evenly. After the chicken breast changes color, it can be taken out and set aside.
Heat adjustment
When stir-frying chicken breast, pay attention to controlling the heat. When stir-frying minced garlic and scallions, it is best to use medium heat to avoid scorching. After adding green and red peppers and pineapple flesh, you can increase the heat slightly and stir-fry quickly to maintain the crispness and fruity aroma of the ingredients.
Proportion of seasonings
The dish can be seasoned according to your own preferences. Note that the proportion of salt, sugar and ketchup should be moderate to highlight the sweet and sour of pineapple and the deliciousness of chicken.
Thickening skills
Finally, when thickening with water starch, pay attention to quickly stir evenly after adding water starch. Thickening can make the soup thicker and better adhere to the ingredients, improving the taste. Note that the water starch should not be too thick to avoid affecting the taste and appearance.
INGREDIENTS
Main Ingredients
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·300g chicken breast
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·150g pineapple flesh
Accessories
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·10g red pepper
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·10g green pepper
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·10g garlic cloves
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·10g scallions
Seasonings
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·10g ketchup
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·6g salt
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·5g sugar
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·Appropriate amount of cooking oil
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·Appropriate amount of water starch
COOKING STEP
Step 1
Marinating chicken:
Cut 300 grams of chicken breast into diced pieces and put them in a bowl.
Add 3 grams of salt, 2 grams of sugar, pour in an appropriate amount of water starch and 10 milliliters of cooking oil.
Mix well and marinate for 15 minutes.
Step 2
Prepare ingredients:
Cut 10 grams of red pepper and 10 grams of green pepper into diamond-shaped slices.
Flatten and mince 10 grams of garlic cloves.
Cut 10 grams of scallions into sections.
Cut 150 grams of pineapple flesh into diced pieces and set aside.
Step 3
Fry chicken dice:
Pour half a pot of oil into the pot and heat it to 70% heat.
Put the marinated chicken dice into the pot and keep stirring until it changes color.
Then take it out and control the oil.
Step 4
Sauté seasonings:
Leave a little base oil in the pot and sauté minced garlic and scallions until fragrant.
Step 5
Stir-fry side dishes:
Then pour in green and red pepper slices and pineapple dice and stir-fry quickly and evenly.
Step 6
Season and stir-fry:
Pour in 200 milliliters of clear water.
Add 3 grams of salt, 3 grams of sugar and 10 grams of ketchup.
Stir evenly and then pour in the fried chicken dice and continue to stir-fry for a while.
Step 7
Thicken and serve:
Finally, add an appropriate amount of water starch to thicken until thick.
The delicious pineapple chicken can be served.
More delicious recipes worth trying
Tasty Easy Spicy Vegetable Salad
Spicy & Crispy·Fried Cucumbers Chinese Style
Delicious & Crispy Homemade Egg Roll Recipe
Serving Suggestions:
Recommended combinations
Rice: Rice and pineapple chicken are very well matched. Together, they are the most classic way to eat. The sweet and sour of pineapple, the deliciousness of chicken and the blandness of rice are combined. Every bite is full of rich taste and makes people's appetite increase.
Steamed buns: pineapple chicken can also be eaten with steamed buns. Steamed buns have a certain absorbency and can be dipped in the sauce of pineapple chicken for eating.
Iced black tea: If you think the taste of pineapple chicken is relatively strong, then you can eat it with iced black tea. The sweetness and mellowness of iced black tea can neutralize the sourness of pineapple chicken and play a role in relieving greasiness.
FAQs:
If it is cut too small, the chicken breast dice will easily break during frying or stir-frying, affecting the taste and appearance of the dish.
To make pineapple not numb, you can soak the pineapple dice in salt water for 15 - 20 minutes. Salt water can destroy bromelain, so it won't numb your mouth when you eat it.
To prevent this situation, you can appropriately shorten the stir-frying time of pineapple and stir-fry quickly. When adding clear water, you can reduce the amount of water according to the actual situation to avoid the soup being too thin and affecting the thickening effect.
If too much is added at one time, the soup will become very thick and even form lumps. You can add a small amount of water starch first and observe the thickness of the soup. If it is not enough, add a small amount until the desired thickness is achieved.
To avoid this problem, you can add an appropriate amount of water when marinating and knead it evenly with your hands to make the chicken fully absorb moisture.
When stir-frying, pay attention to controlling the heat and don't stir-fry for too long to avoid making the chicken old.
In addition, marinating with starch can also help lock in the moisture of chicken and make the taste more tender.