Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

This slow cooker sweet and sour chicken recipe combines tender chicken, vibrant vegetables, and a tangy-sweet sauce for a delicious, family-friendly meal. Perfect for busy weeknights!

David found the recipe when having a look on the Olive magazine website.   We'd been trying to decide what to have for an evening meal one weekend and I think we had pretty much everything already to be able to make it.   The option to cook it in the slow cooker also really appealed, so that's how we made it.  

I'm not an overly huge fan of sweet and sour dishes as I tend to find them too sweet, however, the balance of this recipe is perfect. I think the addition of the tablespoon of soy sauce at the very end gives it the salty hit it needs. 

This is definitely a recipe that will be made again and again!

If you click into the link for the original recipe, above, you'll see this recipe is originally adapted from Dean Edwards recipe book, Cook Slow: Light and Healthy.  He says, "you can control the fat and sugar in this recipe, and it will taste fresher than any takeaway version.   I love a good fakeaway.   This dish is easy to cook at home and the bonus is that you know exactly what's going into your food."

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How to make this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
• 500g skinless boneless chicken thighs
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• thumb-sized piece ginger, finely grated (see Tips)
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 200ml chicken stock (if using the slow cooker), or 400ml, just boiled (if cooking on the hob)
• 30g soft light brown sugar
• 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 peppers (any colours), deseeded and sliced
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 large spring onion, sliced, to garnish (optional)

Slow Cooker Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole or large frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the whole chicken thighs for 4 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden on both sides.
2. Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker, along with the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, 200ml of stock, sugar, ketchup and vinegar. Put on the lid and cook on low for 5 hours. Add the peppers and cook for a further 30 minutes.  
3. Whisk together the cornflour and 1 tbsp of water in a small bowl, then add to the slow cooker, stirring until thickened. The chicken will be super tender and will break up as you stir. Just before serving, add the soy sauce, to taste, then garnish with the spring onion, if using.
4. Enjoy with some rice, prawn crackers and sweet chilli sauce…yum!

On the Hob Instructions

1. Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, then heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole over a medium heat. Cook the chicken for 4 minutes, until golden all over.
2. Add the onion, peppers, garlic, ginger and chilli, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock, sugar, ketchup and vinegar, then give it a good stir. Put a lid on, reduce the heat to low and cook for 45 minutes
3. Whisk together the cornflour and 1 tbsp of water in a small bowl, then add to the pan, stirring until thickened. Just before serving, add the soy sauce, to taste, then garnish with the spring onion, if using.