Slow Cooked Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is a no-fuss Slow Cooked Sweet And Sour Chicken is one that we refer to as homemade take-out. Add a side of steamed rice and it's dinner time in no time flat.

How to Make the Best Slow Cooked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Homemade takeout is a bit of an oxymoron I know, but, many of our favorite take out dishes can be prepared in a family-style version at home. This slow cooker chicken isn't breaded and fried, so it's lighter; at the same time it hits all of the same flavor points.

• Ingredients you'll need to make homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken in a slow cooker: Boneless skinless chicken breasts, red bell pepper,  green bell pepper, onion and pineapple chunks either fresh or canned. Cooked jasmine rice for serving.
• To make the Sweet and Sour Sauce you'll need: Pineapple juice, ketchup, rice wine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, tomato paste, honey or brown sugar, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, Chinese 5 spice powder and ground ginger.  To thicken the sauce you'll need cornstarch, chicken stock or broth.
• The terms crockpot and slow cooker are used interchangeably. The process of slow cooking is the same regardless of what your appliance is called.
• Slow cookers like any appliance, can vary in heat levels depending on shape, volume and age. Know your appliance and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
• In this recipe, I'll give you 3-methods for cooking the vegetables so you can choose which technique suits your schedule and taste the most.
• When chilling leftovers, the sauce will solidify. Reheat gently in the microwave and stir to reheat. You may add additional chicken stock in small amounts if needed to thin.
• Store leftover sweet and sour chicken in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium heat.

More Southern Style Slow Cooker Recipes to Make

I refer to my slow cooker as my personal chef. It's as close as I'll get to one since cooking is my passion and how I show the love to my family and friends. More slow cooker and crockpot recipes you may like to try:

• Slow Cooked Italian Beef Hoagies can be piled onto toasted hoagie rolls for serving.
• Slow Cooker Three Meat Lasagna is assembled in  the same manner as baked lasagna but it can bake gently in the slow cooker while you go about your day.
• Slow Cooker Creamed Corn is the perfect side dish on busy oven days and holidays.
• You may like to end your meal with this Slow Cooked Peach Cobbler recipe.
• Bacon Wrapped Crock Pot Pork Chops from Recipes that Crock

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Slow Cooker
• Kitchen Utensils
• Knives and Chopping Board
• Measuring Set

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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooked Sweet And Sour Chicken

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time5 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Total Time5 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course: Chicken, Main Course, Poultry

Cuisine: American, Asian-inspried

Keyword: slow-cooked-sweet-and-sour-chicken, sweet-and-sour-chicken-recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 331kcal

Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

• 3 lb boneless skinless chicken cut into chunks
• 1 cup pineapple chunks fresh or canned, drained
• 1 medium red bell pepper cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium green bell pepper cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium onion thinly sliced
• Sauce:
• ½ cup pineapple juice
• ⅔ cup ketchup
• ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon Chinese 5-Spice powder [see cook's note]
• 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes [more or less to taste]
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Thickener:
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ cup cold water or chicken broth
• cooked jasmine/basmati rice for serving

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Instructions

• Spray the inside of a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Arrange the chopped vegetables on the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Arrange the chicken and pineapple chunks on top. Whisk together the sauce ingredients. Pour on top of the chicken and pineapple.
• Cook on low for 5 hours or until the chicken is fork tender and cooked through. Increase the slow cooker to the high setting.
• Dissolve the cornstarch in cold water. Whisk into the sauce until thickened.
• Simmer on high for 10-15 additional minutes.
• Serve over rice.

Notes

To add Vegetables at the end of Cooking:
Omit the vegetables at the beginning of preparation.
a) Cook the chicken and pineapple in the slow cooker with the sauce as directed. Add the vegetables during the last 1 hour of cooking. Thicken the sauce with cornstarch and water per the recipe, before serving.
b) Alternatively, stir-fry the bell peppers and onion in a couple of drizzles of oil in a skillet on the stove-top. Season with salt & black pepper to your taste. Thicken the sauce in the slow cooker per the recipe, then stir in crisp-cooked vegetables just before serving.

Chinese 5-Spice powder includes; cinnamon, fennel, schezwan peppers, star anise and clove ground into a spice blend. It's readily available on the spice aisle or in the Asian section of most grocery stores.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 952mg | Potassium: 909mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 782IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

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