Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken
Boneless chicken thighs are browned and cooked low and slow in a flavorful sweet and sour sauce until fork tender. Colorful bell peppers and chunks of pineapple round out this better-than-takeout Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken.
Servings: 8
Calories: 330kcal
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and sliced in half
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch divided
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 8 ounces pineapple chunks in pineapple juice (not syrup)
- ½ cup finely chopped white or yellow onion
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 to 3 bell peppers assorted colors, seeded and chopped
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
Instructions
- Place half of the chicken thighs in a large zippered plastic storage bag and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Seal the bag and shake until chicken is evenly coated.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over MEDIUM-HIGH. Add the coated chicken and cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Transfer the browned chicken to a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker.
- Repeat the coating and browning process with the remaining chicken, cornstarch, and oil.
- Drain and reserve the juice from the can of pineapple chunks. Cover and refrigerate the drained pineapple chunks for later.
- Combine the finely chopped onion, rice vinegar, ¼ cup of the reserved pineapple juice, ketchup, honey, soy sauce (or tamari), ginger, garlic, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour the sauce over chicken in slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or on LOW for 6 hours, until chicken is tender and cooked through. Stir the chopped bell pepper into the chicken and sauce and spoon the reserved pineapple chunks over the top. Cover and cook on HIGH for an additional 30 minutes, or until the bell pepper is fork tender.
- Serve over rice garnished with green onions.
Nutrition
Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 580mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g