Lighter Sweet and Sour Chicken

I love Chinese take-out but isn’t it just that much better when you make it at home? I do love all the different kinds of fried Chinese chicken but I prefer not to eat fried foods very often so I’ve started making lighter versions of the classics that aren’t deep fried in oil. Instead they are sautéed in small amounts of oil and I also work to cut back on the sugars in the sauces. This Lighter Sweet and Sour Chicken is the perfect example that lighter versions of Chinese take-out can be just as good as the calorie heavy, high fat versions!

Lighter Sweet and Sour Chicken

Yield: 4 - 5 servings

Ingredients

Sauce

1/2 tsp extra light olive oil or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp peeled, minced ginger
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbsp honey
2 1/2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Chicken

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 large egg whites
Salt and white or black pepper
2 Tbsp extra light olive oil or vegetable oil

Veggie mixture

2 tsp extra light olive oil or vegetable oil
1 1/2 bell peppers, diced into 3/4-inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, diced into 3/4-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups fresh or canned pineapple chunks (drain if using canned)