Sweet Chili Chicken Pineapple (Print View)

Tender chicken and pineapple mingle with crisp vegetables and zesty sweet chili sauce.

# Components:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
02 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
03 - 1 teaspoon cornstarch
04 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Rice

05 - 3 cups cooked jasmine rice, preferably day-old

→ Vegetables & Fruit

06 - 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
07 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
08 - 1/2 cup frozen peas
09 - 3 green onions, sliced
10 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
11 - 1 small carrot, diced

→ Sauce

12 - 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
13 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
14 - 1 tablespoon fish sauce, optional
15 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

→ For Cooking

16 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
17 - 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

→ Garnish

18 - 2 tablespoons roasted cashews or peanuts, optional
19 - Fresh cilantro, chopped
20 - Lime wedges

# Method:

01 - In a medium bowl, toss diced chicken with soy sauce, cornstarch, and black pepper. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow flavors to penetrate the meat.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add marinated chicken and stir-fry until cooked through, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a clean plate.
03 - Add remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add minced garlic, diced carrot, and bell pepper. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until vegetables achieve tender-crisp texture.
04 - Push vegetables to the side of the pan and pour in beaten eggs. Allow to set for 30 seconds, then scramble and thoroughly combine with the vegetables.
05 - Add cold cooked rice to the pan, breaking apart any clumps. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until rice is heated uniformly throughout.
06 - Return cooked chicken to the pan along with fresh pineapple, frozen peas, and sliced green onions. Incorporate all components thoroughly.
07 - Whisk together sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, and toasted sesame oil in a small bowl. Pour sauce over rice mixture and toss vigorously until rice is evenly coated and heated through.
08 - Remove from heat and transfer to serving dishes. Garnish with roasted nuts, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Ready in under 40 minutes, which means you can have something restaurant-quality on the table before anyone gets too hungry or cranky.
  • The sweet chili sauce does all the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so you don't need a PhD in seasoning to nail it.
  • It's genuinely fun to eat—the pineapple chunks stay juicy, the cashews add a surprising crunch, and somehow it tastes better than the takeout version.
02 -
  • Don't skip the day-old rice step—I learned this the hard way when I tried to make fried rice with warm fresh rice from the rice cooker and ended up with a gummy mess that no amount of stirring could fix.
  • The sweet chili sauce brands vary wildly in heat level and sweetness, so taste the sauce mixture on a grain of rice before you pour it all over; you can always add more but you can't take it back.
  • Keep your heat on medium-high the whole time—too high and the outside of the chicken burns before the inside cooks, too low and the rice steams instead of frying and gets mushy.
03 -
  • Have all your ingredients prepped and lined up before you start cooking—the actual cooking happens fast, and you won't have time to chop garlic once the wok is hot.
  • If you can't find sweet chili sauce where you live, you can make a quick version by mixing equal parts ketchup and sriracha with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of brown sugar, but the real thing is worth hunting for.
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