Sweet Chili Chicken Pineapple (Print Version)

A vibrant dish combining chicken, pineapple, and vegetables with sweet chili sauce and fragrant jasmine rice.

# What You'll Need:

→ 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

# How to Make It:

01 - In a medium bowl, toss diced chicken with soy sauce, cornstarch, and black pepper. Set aside for 10 minutes to marinate.
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 4-5 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.
03 - Add remaining vegetable oil to the pan. Add minced garlic, diced carrot, and red bell pepper. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until vegetables are just tender-crisp.
04 - Push vegetables to the side and pour beaten eggs into the empty space. Let set for 30 seconds, then scramble and mix with the vegetables until fully incorporated.
05 - Add cold cooked jasmine rice, breaking up any clumps with your spatula. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until the rice is heated through and separated.
06 - Return cooked chicken to the pan along with diced pineapple, frozen peas, and sliced green onions. Toss to combine all components.
07 - Mix together sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, and toasted sesame oil in a small bowl. Pour over rice mixture and toss thoroughly to ensure even coating and heating.
08 - Remove from heat. Garnish with roasted cashews, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges before serving immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than takeout once your ingredients are prepped, and tastes like you've been cooking all day.
  • The balance of sweet, savory, and spicy makes everyone at the table pause mid-bite to figure out what they're tasting.
02 -
  • Day-old rice is non-negotiable; fresh rice won't work because the moisture content makes it turn into mush instead of separate, fluffy grains.
  • Keep your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking because everything moves fast once you're in the wok, and scrambling around looking for garlic will throw off the timing.
03 -
  • If your wok isn't big enough to move everything around comfortably, use your largest skillet instead; a crowded pan means steam instead of proper cooking.
  • Prep everything before you start cooking, because the actual cooking happens so fast that you won't have time to chop garlic once the oil is hot.
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