I love making this dish because it is easy, flavorful and of course delicious! Bonus: it reheats well! This recipe is versatile because you can swap the lean proteins (shrimp, pork tenderloin, tofu) as well as the vegetables (mushrooms, baby corn, snap peas, etc.) so you can create a never-ending mix n’ match of different proteins and veggies. Pair this recipe with cauliflower rice, palmini rice or brown rice to add fiber and complex carbs – plus all of them absorb the yummy sauce really well!
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb raw boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into hunks
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 2 medium bell peppers, your favorite colors, cut into hunks
- 1 yellow onion, cut into cubes
- 1 cup fresh pineapple cubes (you can use canned but it’s just not as good)
Sauce:
- 2 tbsp organic honey
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
- 3 tbsp low sugar ketchup
- ½ c pineapple juice (if you don’t have this on hand you can omit it)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
- ¼ c apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp corn starch
Directions:
Preheat your air fryer to 385 degrees. While it preheats, add the raw chicken in a large Ziploc bag with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and corn starch. Seal, then shake or massage to coat. Once the air fryer has been preheated (or warming for 8-10 minutes) spray it with nonstick cooking spray then add the coated chicken from the bag, cooking 7-8 minutes, shaking, then cooking for another 7-8 minutes (Note: air fryer cooking times vary so be sure you chicken is cooked through!)
(Note: if you will be adding any kind of rice, start to prepare that now.)
While the chicken cooks preheat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onions and bell peppers and sauté over medium to medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes until soft. Add the pineapple and cook until it starts to caramelize, about 6-8 minutes (the smaller you cube it, the faster it cooks).
While everything is cooking, add your sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Make sure the corn starch gets totally broken down and stirred in; nobody wants to eat a clump of that!
Once the veggies are sauteed and the pineapple is caramelized, add the chicken into the frying pan with them. Stir together then pour the sauce on top of it. Keep stirring and soon the sauce will start to thicken. Once it is the consistency you like, remove from the heat and plate up with whatever type of rice or side dish you like!