This twist on a favourite is guaranteed to satisfy. It would also work well with pork mince instead of the chicken. Check brands to make sure they’re dairy free, if needed.
This meatball twist on the classic sweet and sour chicken dish is a winner! Serve with rice if you like.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
35 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 5 mins
Ingredients
For the sauce
1Tbsp.
vegetable oil
2
mixed-colour pepper, we used green and red, deseeded and roughly chopped
1
large red onion, roughly chopped
1
courgette, roughly chopped
1
small aubergine, roughly chopped
2Tbsp.
cornflour
325ml
pineapple juice
125ml
white wine vinegar
75g
runny honey
75g
tomato ketchup
11/2Tbsp.
soy sauce
1tsp.
ground coriander
Pinch ground cinnamon
200g
fresh pineapple, roughly chopped
For the meatballs
1Tbsp.
vegetable oil
1
kg chicken thigh fillets (skinless), roughly chopped
75g
fried/fresh breadcrumbs
Pinch dried chilli flakes
2.5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. For the sauce, heat the oil in a
large non-stick frying pan over medium
heat and fry the peppers, onion, courgette
and aubergine for 15min, stirring
frequently, until softened. Set aside.
Step 2Meanwhile, make the meatballs. Heat
the oil on a large baking tray in the oven
for 10min. Pulse the chicken in a food
processor until finely chopped. Add the
breadcrumbs, chilli flakes, ginger and
some seasoning. Pulse until mixture
comes together.
Step 3Shape chicken mixture into 30 walnut sized
meatballs. Carefully remove the
baking tray from the oven and add the
meatballs, turning to coat in the oil.
Return to the oven and cook for 20min,
or until golden and cooked through.
Step 4Next, for the sauce, mix the cornflour
with 4tbsp of the pineapple juice; set
aside. In a medium pan, heat the
remaining pineapple juice, vinegar,
honey, ketchup, soy sauce, ground
coriander and cinnamon. Bring to the
boil and simmer for 2min. Stir in the
cornflour mixture and simmer, mixing
constantly, for 2min, until thickened.
Stir in the pineapple and cook for 1min.
Step 5Add the sauce to the vegetable pan
and check the seasoning. Add the
meatballs and toss to coat. Serve with
rice or noodles.
A crack team of highly skilled food content producers, the GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurstis our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time.
