Heart Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken

The sweet and sour chicken you get from a restaurant is not usually the healthiest of meals. That’s because most restaurant versions start with chicken that is breaded and fried. The sauce is then a sticky concoction that’s often loaded with sugar and sodium. Although it tastes as good as the original, this low-calorie and low-sodium sweet and sour chicken is made by stir-frying lean chicken breasts with vegetables and pineapple and finishing it in a sauce that doesn’t rely heavily on sugar or high-sodium ingredients like salt or soy sauce.

The key to keeping this dish low in calories is starting with skinless chicken breasts that are cooked quickly in a very small amount of oil. Enhancing the chicken is bell peppers, onion and pineapple, which add to the flavor profile without adding much in the way of calories. A healthy sweet and sour sauce, comprised of pineapple juice, vinegar, chicken stock and brown sugar, brings the dish together without weighing it down. At less than 150 calories per serving, you may even want to indulge in seconds!

This dish is traditionally eaten over rice, but if you want something a bit more exciting than plain white rice, give one of these recipes a try:

• Stir-Fried Rice
• Cauliflower Rice
• Ginger Brown Rice