This delicious stir-fry recipe has been in our family since I can remember. It's my first published recipe too! I sent it into a cooking magazine many years ago and it was included as a recipe to use up leftover turkey! The sweet and sour sauce, chicken or turkey, pineapple, and crunchy almonds make this healthy meal one you can't resist.
Cantonese Chicken Stir-Fry
Serves 5
3 tablespoons butter
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple tidbits, undrained
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups shredded or chopped chicken or turkey
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Hot cooked rice
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Stir-fry carrots, celery, and onions in butter until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add undrained pineapple. Whisk together the cornstarch, brown sugar, salt, and chicken broth. Add to the vegetables. Add the soy sauce and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken or turkey. Stir to combine and heat through. Stir in toasted almonds just before serving. Serve over rice.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need butter, carrots, celery, onion, cornstarch, brown sugar, salt, chicken broth, soy sauce, lemon juice, cooked chicken or turkey, can of pineapple tidbits, and toasted sliced almonds. I get the already toasted almonds from Walmart (Great Value brand), or you can toast your own in a pan.
To start, prep your vegetables by peeling and slicing 2 medium carrots, slicing 2 stalks celery, and chopping 1 small onion (or 1/2 of a large one). In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium high heat, then add vegetables and stir-fry for about 5 minutes or until crisp tender. Add the pineapple tidbits with the juice.
Whisk together the cornstarch, brown sugar, salt, and chicken broth. Add to skillet along with lemon juice and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken. Stir and heat through.
Just before serving, stir in the almonds. Serve immediately over hot rice.
The sweet and sour sauce is so delicious. The crunch of the almonds and vegetables give it a fabulous texture.
This is a fantastic recipe to use up leftover chicken or turkey. You will get rave reviews, and nobody will ever know you used leftovers. Healthy, and very family friendly. Enjoy!
Recipe Source: Recipe from Shanna's recipe box (and published in Nov/Dec 2004 Taste of Home's Quick Cooking)