Guo Bao Chicken

The Chinese theme on the blog continues with this absolutely stunning dish. It is my take on the classic guo bao rou (or sweet and sour pork, to you and me). The biggest change is obviously the use of chicken but I've also lightened the dish up both in terms of flavour and healthiness for you - so you can enjoy this guilt-free!

The sauce is sweet and sticky whilst at the same time tangy and with a slight kick of chilli. The chicken thighs are caramelised on the outside and deliciously tender in the middle. The pineapple and pepper bring freshness and the cashews bring crunch as well as saltiness. This is a perfectly balanced taste sensation and I cannot recommend you try it enough!

Guo Bao Chicken
Serves 2

For the pineapple chicken:
4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1.5cm cubes 
1 tbsp cornflour 
1 tbsp rapeseed oil 
1-2 tsp dried chilli flakes 
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp mirin 
½ small pineapple, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes 
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 1.5cm cubes 
3 spring onions, thinly sliced 
small handful cashew nuts, roasted 
freshly ground black pepper 

For the sauce:
100ml pineapple juice 
1 tbsp light soy sauce 
1 tbsp cornflour 
1 lime, juice only 
1 tsp runny honey 
¼ tsp Sriracha chili sauce

To serve:
white or brown basmati rice, cooked to packet instructions

Put the chicken in a bowl and season with salt and black pepper. Add the cornflour, mix well to coat and set aside. Whisk together all the sauce ingredients in a small jug and set aside. 

Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking. Add the rapeseed oil and chilli flakes and fry for a few seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. As it starts to turn opaque, add the rice wine vinegar and mirin and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. 

Add the pineapple and red pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce, bring to the boil and simmer until the volume has reduced by half and the sauce is slightly sticky and thick. Add the spring onion and cashews and cook for 20 seconds, stirring well. Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, then serve immediately with the rice.