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Easy Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

Tender slow-cooked chicken thighs in a sweet and tangy sauce with bell peppers, onion, and pineapple chunks. Serve over steamed rice for an easy, flavorful weeknight dinner.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 350
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breast, but thighs stay juicier)
  • 1 large red bell pepper cut into 2cm chunks
  • 1 large green bell pepper cut into 2cm chunks
  • 1 large onion cut into 2cm chunks
  • 2 tablespoons tomato purée
  • 120 ml pineapple juice from a can of pineapple chunks is perfect
  • 60 ml rice vinegar not seasoned
  • 60 ml low-sodium chicken stock
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
  • 2 tablespoons cornflour
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce use tamari for gluten-free
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon fresh, grated
  • 400 g can pineapple chunks drained (reserve the juice for the sauce)

Method
 

  1. Prepare the sauce base. In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato purée, pineapple juice, rice vinegar, chicken stock, brown sugar, soy sauce, minced garlic, and ground ginger. The mixture should look a deep reddish-orange and smell sharply sweet and tangy.
  2. Layer the ingredients. Place the chicken pieces in a single layer at the bottom of your slow cooker. The chicken will look pale and raw, but don't worry — it will cook through completely. Scatter the red and green bell pepper chunks and the onion chunks evenly over the top. The colours should be vibrant and fresh.
  3. Pour the sauce. Pour your prepared sauce evenly over the chicken and vegetables. Gently stir everything once so the sauce coats all the pieces. You should see the sauce pooling around the chicken, with flecks of pepper and onion peeking through.
  4. Cook low and slow. Put the lid on and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. After about 2 hours on high, your kitchen will start to smell sweet, tangy, and savoury — a sign the magic is happening. The chicken will look opaque and slightly puffed as it cooks.
  5. Make the cornflour slurry. About 20 minutes before the end of cooking, mix the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl. Stir until it's completely smooth, with no lumps. The slurry should look like thin, white milk.
  6. Thicken the sauce. Remove the lid and give the chicken and vegetables a gentle stir. The chicken should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork, and the peppers will have softened but still hold their shape. Pour the cornflour slurry into the slow cooker and stir it in thoroughly.
  7. Add the pineapple. Gently fold in the drained pineapple chunks. Replace the lid and cook on high for another 10-15 minutes. When you lift the lid, the sauce should have thickened to a glossy, syrupy consistency that coats the back of a spoon. The pineapple will be warm and slightly softened.
  8. Serve immediately. Spoon the chicken and vegetables over steamed rice. You should see the thick, shiny sauce clinging to every piece of chicken and pepper, with the sweet pineapple chunks scattered throughout.

Notes

For gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce. Chicken thighs stay juicier than breasts. Reserve pineapple juice from the can for the sauce.