A big bowl of this Sweet and Sour Crockpot Chicken and rice is a delicious and easy meal to have on your dinner table.
I have to be very careful about accepting any candy from my kids because those little stinkers have become very sneaky about trying to slip me some sour treats.
They know that I don't like sour candy AT ALL! It makes me cringe just thinking about things like pucker powder, war heads, or sour gummies.
The bad thing is that all three of our kids know this, so they think it is absolutely hilarious to try to trick me into eating something very sour.
Usually they try to be very discreet and hand it to me when I am distracted, but I have gotten wise to their little tricks.
Before any candy from them goes into my mouth it has to be inspected very carefully. Who knows what they might try to sneak past me!!
Now sweet chocolate...I'll take that any day. They used to give me some of their Reese's, but now they just keep that hidden. It's fine because I have a secret stash in the pantry just for making Reese's Peanut Butter Bars when the craving hits.
Recently, I found a few cookbooks on clearance at the store. One was a Taste of Home light meals cookbook. Since we are trying to watch what we eat, I had to pick this book up right away.
In this book was a recipe for sweet and sour recipe that sounded like something we would like. Sweet for me, sour for them. Plus, it pretty much all happens in the crockpot, so it sounded so easy.
I modified a few of the ingredients for this dinner based on what was in our cupboard. I also used a package of boneless chicken because I already had that in the freezer.
Gotta love an easy crockpot chicken dinner, am I right?
Everyone here gave this crockpot chicken two thumbs up. This is definitely a must make again recipe since everyone liked it so much. I love easy and delicious meals like this that come together in no time at all.
How to make Sweet and Sour Crockpot Chicken:
- Shake the chicken chunks in a bag with cornstarch and paprika until evenly coated.
- Brown the chicken in a skillet, then transfer it to your crock pot.
- Stir together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, teriyaki sauce, and salt. Pour this over the chicken and give it a good stir.
- Let it cook on high for 3 hours or until done. You can also cook this on low for about 6 hours.
- Whisk together the water and cornstarch and stir it into the chicken along with the drained pineapple and red pepper chunks.
- Let the mixture cook for another 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and the peppers have softened.
- Serve over regular rice, or if you are eating low carb make a batch of this Easy Cauliflower Rice.
What vegetables are good in sweet and sour chicken?
We usually use pineapple and red peppers in our crock pot chicken. Any color of bell pepper would be fine. Onions are also a good choice.
You can also spice it up by using red chili peppers with the seeds removed.
More chicken dinner recipes:
- Hawaiian Chicken Salad - pineapple, nuts, and spicy peppers make this salad a great healthy dinner. Perfect on salads or rolls.
- Low Carb Chicken Stroganoff Meatballs - the creamy sauce on these homemade meatballs will have you convinced this is comfort food!
- Spinach Chicken Caprese Salad - this easy salad comes together in minutes. It's great for meals or picnics!
- Chicken Noodle Soup - this easy soup is ready in under 30 minutes and is perfect for chilly days
- Easy Chicken Snow Pea Stir Fry - chicken and veggies in a soy sauce can be on your plate in 30 minutes.
Recipe
Sweet and Sour Crockpot Chicken
This easy Sweet and Sour Crockpot Chicken is a delicious meal for busy nights. It is loaded with veggies and fruit and tastes great when served over rice.
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoon cornstarch, divided
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 1 ½ pounds chicken, cut into chunks (about 4 cups)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- ¼ cups red wine vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Teriyaki sauce
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 red pepper, diced
- ¼ cup cold water
- cooked white or brown rice
- green onions
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Place the chicken chunks in a large ziplock bag with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and the paprika. Shake until evenly coated.
- In a nonstick skillet brown half the chicken in 1 tablespoon oil for 1 minute, then transfer to a 3 qt. crock pot. Repeat with the remaining chicken and oil. Toss the onions on top.
- Drain the pineapple. Place the pineapple in a container and refrigerate for later.
- Stir together the pineapple juice, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and salt and pour over the chicken in the crock pot. Stir everything together. Cook on high heat for 3 hours or until meat is done.
- Combine the cornstarch and water and whisk until smooth. Stir into the chicken mixture.
- Add the reserved pineapple and red peppers. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened slightly. Serve over cooked rice. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
*Recipe adapted from Taste of Home's Everyday Light Meals cookbook
**You can also cook this dinner on the low setting for 6 hours.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 435Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 817mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 3gSugar: 15gProtein: 30g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
(original photo from January 2012)
*The post and recipe for this Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Chicken was originally published January 11, 2012. The pictures and post has been updated and republished November 5, 2018.
Sewqueen
Should I use pineapple in syrup or juice? Does it matter?
Jocelyn
It really doesn't matter which one. I usually prefer the juice over syrup to cut some sugar. I hope you enjoy the dinner!
Sewqueen
Yes! I made this for dinner yesterday and it was delicious, my family really liked it! Thank you!
Jamielyn
So easy, delicious and the perfect weeknight meal!
Courtney O'Dell
So delicious and easy - one of our family's favorites!
Sandy C
This is my favorite go-to weeknight meal. Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Sabrina
I love using my slow cooker! Such a life saver during busy times. Asian dishes are always a family favorite. Can't wait to try this version.
joyinthemoments.com
Love crock pot meals. This looks amazing. Thanks for sharing. (I found you on junkintheirtrunk's linky party)
Liz
Mmm! I tripled this yesterday for about 20 people, it was great! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Amy Anderson
Yum yum yum!! I'm featuring this recipe this weekend. Thanks for linking up!
http://www.alittlenosh.net/2012/01/weekend-spotlight-17.html
Miz Helen
Good Morning Jocelyn,
We just love Sweet and Sour Chicken and your recipe looks delicious! Thank you so much for sharing with our 1st Anniversary Party at Full Plate Thursday. Have a great week end and come back soon!
Miz Helen
The Miller Five
You had me at crockpot. I am all about the crockpot. This sounds like a delicious meal. I'll have to make it next week. Thanks for sharing!
Kara @ Mine for the Making
PS- consider this pinned 😉
Kara @ Mine for the Making
LOVE crockpot meals!!! This one is def one we will try. We dont eat a whole lot of pork either, so I will def try your chicken recipe 🙂
Julia
I HATED sour candy my entire life, but have always LOVED sweet and sour chicken at chinese restaurants. Weird. This looks great, much healthy then the fried version I like 🙂
Hayley
Yup, gotta make this! My family loves sweet and sour pork take-out so this should be no exception. We'll also modify it with chicken breast because I'll unexplicably say I hate pork.
...and sour candy. We must be related, too!!
Lady Behind The Curtain
What a GREAT recipe! Would you come over to Cast Party Wednesday and share it with us?
Thanks,
I hope to see you there!
Sheryl
http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/?p=21694
Loveforfood
This is totally yummy snack food.
Aimee
I love a good slow cooker recipe, and if your family gave this thumbs up surely mine would too! You know, since we're related and all 🙂