Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Pineapple Chicken Cubes
菠蘿雞丁
Recipe overview
Pineapple Chicken Cubes is a mild sweet-and-sour Hong Kong home-style stir-fry. The chicken cubes should be tender, pineapple gives natural sweetness, and bell peppers add colour. It is suitable for children's dinners and helps helpers practise cutting chicken into even cubes, marinating chicken, and balancing a simple sweet-and-sour sauce. The key is not to overcook the chicken and to add the pineapple only at the end so it keeps its shape and does not release too much liquid.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 400g boneless chicken thigh or chicken steak
- 1 cup canned pineapple slices or fresh pineapple
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/2 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 slices ginger
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce Chicken marinade:
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar Chicken marinade:
- a little white pepper Chicken marinade:
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch Chicken marinade:
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil Chicken marinade:
- 2 tablespoons ketchup Sweet-and-sour sauce:
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons pineapple juice or water
- A little salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water Cornstarch slurry:
02
Tools
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Bowls
- Plate
- Measuring spoons
- Nonstick wok or home wok
- Wok spatula
- Kitchen paper
- Small ladle
03
Steps
Step 1
Prepare ingredients
Prepare chicken, pineapple, green pepper, red pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, and all seasonings. Cut everything before heating the wok.
Step 2
Cut chicken cubes
Pat chicken dry with kitchen paper and cut into even 2 cm cubes so they cook at the same speed.
Step 3
Marinate chicken cubes
Mix chicken with soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and cornstarch, then add a little oil. Marinate for 10 minutes.
Step 4
Cut pineapple
Cut pineapple into bite-size pieces. If using canned pineapple, keep a little juice for the sauce. Do not cut it too small.
Step 5
Cut vegetables
Cut green pepper, red pepper, and onion into small pieces close to the size of the chicken. Slice garlic and ginger.
Step 6
Mix sauce
Mix ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, white vinegar, pineapple juice or water, and a little salt in a bowl.
Step 7
Stir-fry chicken
Heat oil in the wok and stir-fry chicken over medium heat until the surface changes colour and it is about 80% cooked. Remove first.
Step 8
Fry garlic and ginger
Add a little oil to the same wok and fry garlic and ginger until fragrant. Keep the heat moderate so the garlic does not burn.
Step 9
Stir-fry onion and peppers
Add onion, green pepper, and red pepper. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until bright but still crisp.
Step 10
Return chicken
Return chicken to the wok and stir-fry with the vegetables until fully cooked.
Step 11
Add sweet-and-sour sauce
Pour in the prepared sauce, stir quickly, then add a little cornstarch slurry until the sauce is lightly thickened.
Step 12
Add pineapple and serve
Add pineapple pieces last and stir gently until just hot. Serve when the chicken is tender, pineapple is intact, and the glossy sauce is not watery.
Common mistakes
- Chicken cubes are uneven, so some are cooked while others are not.
- Skipping cornstarch in the marinade makes chicken dry.
- Adding pineapple too early makes it mushy and watery.
- Too much sauce makes the dish watery.
- Too much vinegar may taste too sour for children.
- Overcooking peppers makes them dull and soft.
Tips
Keep the sweet and sour flavour balanced. Use less vinegar the first time. Stir-fry chicken until about 80% cooked first, then return it later so it stays tender. Add pineapple at the end to keep its shape and sweetness. Ask Ma'am or Sir to taste before serving.
