Sweet Chili Chicken Pineapple (Printable Version)

Delightful mix of chicken, pineapple, vegetables, and spicy-sweet sauce served over fragrant fried rice.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
02 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
03 - 1 teaspoon cornstarch
04 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Rice

05 - 3 cups cooked jasmine rice, preferably day-old

→ Vegetables & Fruit

06 - 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
07 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
08 - 1/2 cup frozen peas
09 - 3 green onions, sliced
10 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
11 - 1 small carrot, diced

→ Sauce

12 - 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
13 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
14 - 1 tablespoon fish sauce, optional
15 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

→ For Cooking

16 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
17 - 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

→ Garnish

18 - 2 tablespoons roasted cashews or peanuts, optional
19 - Fresh cilantro, chopped
20 - Lime wedges

# Steps:

01 - In a medium bowl, combine diced chicken with soy sauce, cornstarch, and black pepper. Allow to marinate for 10 minutes.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add marinated chicken and stir-fry until cooked through, approximately 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a clean plate.
03 - Add remaining oil to the pan. Stir-fry garlic, carrot, and red bell pepper for 2-3 minutes until tender-crisp.
04 - Push vegetables to the side of the wok. Pour beaten eggs into the cleared space, allow to set for 30 seconds, then scramble and combine with vegetables.
05 - Add cold cooked rice, breaking apart any clumps. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until rice is heated through and begins to separate.
06 - Return cooked chicken to the wok along with pineapple, peas, and green onions. Toss to integrate evenly.
07 - Combine sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Pour mixture over rice and toss thoroughly until rice is uniformly coated and heated through.
08 - Transfer to serving dishes and garnish with roasted cashews or peanuts, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The tropical pineapple and sweet chili sauce create an addictive sweet-savory-spicy tango that makes you want another bite before you've finished chewing.
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, which means you can feed people without sacrificing your entire evening.
  • Every element—the tender chicken, the crispy vegetables, the fluffy rice—stays distinct instead of turning into mush, which is honestly harder to achieve than it sounds.
02 -
  • Cold rice is non-negotiable because the starch has set and each grain stays separate, whereas warm or fresh rice will turn into porridge no matter how confident you feel with your wok technique.
  • Keep your heat high and your movements quick—this dish cooks fast, and lingering means soggy vegetables and separated sauce instead of everything melding together beautifully.
03 -
  • Don't rush the marinating step on the chicken—those 10 minutes actually matter for texture and seasoning penetration, even though it feels like nothing.
  • If your sweet chili sauce is thicker than you'd like, thin it slightly with a splash of rice vinegar or lime juice so it coats the rice evenly instead of clumping up in spots.
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