Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Garlic Chicken

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I am going to be brutally honest with you guys here. I have been so lazy in the kitchen lately. If I can’t make it in five minutes or less or in the slow cooker, then you might as well forget about it. My cooking mojo went away when the New Year came and I am yet to find it. This Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Garlic Chicken fits my lazy girl bill perfectly right now. If you have been extra busy lately but are still looking for delicious meals then you need to give this a try!

Raise your hand if Chinese food is seriously your jam!? I loveeeeee Chinese food but we don’t have it very often anymore, unfortunately. We moved farther away from our favorite local restaurant, so stopping and picking up take out just isn’t convenient anymore. I try to make stir fries and Asian inspired dishes at home, but is it never quite the same, is it?

Well this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Garlic Chicken comes so close to the restaurant versions. What I think turned out best about it is the texture. I have never been able to duplicate that soft, but breaded texture that you find on your favorite take out, but I think I finally did it! The trick is coating the chicken in corn starch, browning it, and then letting it cook in the slow cooker to sop up that yummy sauce!

I have been craving citrusy and bright flavors lately, so pineapple was the perfect fresh touch in this meal. It must be the dreary days we are experiencing, but I have been eating a lot more fruit than usual. The juicy pineapple chunks add the perfect amount of fruit flavor to this dish, without being over powering. Are you craving some fresh flavors too? Grab a Dole coupon here!

I served this meal over Minute White Rice which was the perfect side dish. It takes less than five minutes to make, which makes it the perfect pantry staple. You could even swap out the white for their brown variety if you’d prefer. With the peppers and pineapple in the chicken, it was a complete and easy meal!

I am trying to watch my sodium so this homemade version of a take out favorite is the perfect substitute. I even used Kikkoman Low Sodium soy sauce (grab a coupon here!) and you seriously can’t tell a difference from the regular version. I didn’t add any salt to this dish either, which is very rare for me, but I don’t think you need it! There is so much flavor in the sauce that the salt isn’t missed! And don’t be afraid of all the garlic in this dish! It really mellows out with all the acidity from the sauce and just adds some great flavor undertones.

Chinese New Year is right around the corner, and if your family loves easy Chinese dishes, then this is the perfect one for you! By making this in the slow cooker, and then serving it over Minute rice, you can put barely any effort into dinner, but still serve a delicious and flavorful meal!

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Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 large chicken breast cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 peppers cut into bite sized pieces
• 4 oz. of pineapple
• For the sauce:
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 6 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 tbsp. corn starch

Instructions

1. Preheat a pan to medium high heat, lightly drizzled with oil.
2. In a bag, add your garlic powder, pepper, and 1/2 cup corn starch. Add chicken pieces and close bag. Shake well until all pieces are coated in corn starch.
3. Add chicken to preheated pan and cook 3-5 minutes, or until chicken is browned, but not cooked through. Add peppers then chicken to the slow cooker.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients until well combined. Pour sauce over slow cooker but do not stir. You don't want to saturate the chicken yet so it retains some of its texture.
5. Cook on low 4 hours.
6. When time to serve, prepare white rice as desired and then add pineapple chunks to the slow cooker and then stir to toss everything in the sauce.
7. Serve over white rice immediately.

For more Asian-inspired recipe inspiration, visit the Chinese New Year Eats social hub.

 Check out these links for more brand info! Kikkoman   Dole     Minute Rice

I picked up all my ingredients at Walmart!