Five-Spice Chicken and Pineapple

A wok is over a campfire with the chicken, pineapple, onion, and bell pepper stir frying.

Chinese Five-spice Chicken is stir-fried in a wok over a campfire, a great yet underutilized cooking option. Using a wok is a great cooking option that is a perfect way to use the hot flames of a campfire. Alternately, this dish can be made over a gas stove.

A relatively small number of ingredients go into this very flavorsome meal. The Chinese five-spice is the prominent flavor even though there is very little of it used. It is very strong and can easily become overpowering if too much is used.

If you are not comfortable using a wok over the fire, it may also be cooked in a skillet, frypan, or in an electric wok in an RV. The goal is to use something that can get very hot and cook the ingredients quickly.

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A camp plate of Chinese Five-Spice Chicken and Pineapple served with plain white rice.
Stir fried Chinese five-spice chicken and pineapple is served best with a simple plain rice or a fried rice.
Battered pieces of chicken frying in the wok over hot coals.
This battering process creates a covering that makes it easier for the sauce to stick to.
A wok is over a campfire with the chicken, pineapple, onion, and bell pepper stir frying.
A wok is a great tool for cooking over a campfire and uses the hot flames to quickly stir fry meats and vegetables.

Five-Spice Chicken and Pineapple Recipe

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A wok is over a campfire with the chicken, pineapple, onion, and bell pepper stir frying.
Chinese Five-spice Chicken is stir-fried in a wok over a campfire, a great yet underutilized cooking option.
Preparation 15 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Ready in 30 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
CourseDinner
InfluenceAsian
DifficultySeasoned
MethodStir Fry

Ingredients

Pineapple Sauce

  • 1 can pineapple pieces
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxing rice wine
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup (tomato sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch (cornflour)

Battered Chicken

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five-Spice powder

To Cook

  • 1/2 cup peanut oil
  • 1 small yellow onion chopped
  • 1 bell pepper seeded and chopped
  • cooked white rice for serving

Equipment

  • cup
  • wok

Directions

Pineapple Sauce

  • Open the can of pineapple. Drain the pineapple juice into a cup and put the pineapple chunks aside until needed.
  • Add to the cup of pineapple juice the soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, ketchup, vinegar, and cornstarch. Whisk with a fork until well combined and no lumps of cornstarch remain.

Battered Chicken

  • Thinly slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
  • Whisk the egg white until white and fluffy then gently sprinkle in the cornstarch and Chinese Five-spice powder. Whisk again until well combined.
  • Add the chicken to the egg white mixture and gently combine. Put aside until needed.

To Cook

  • Heat the oil in a hot wok.
  • Add the battered chicken and cook, stirring gently to make sure it doesn’t stick together.
  • When golden brown, remove the chicken, draining the oil back into the wok. Drain the chicken on a paper towel until needed.
  • Add to the hot wok the onions and bell peppers; stir fry until the onions are transparent, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the pineapple chunks and chicken, stirring to combine.
  • Slowly stir in the pineapple sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir until thickened, about 2 minutes.
    Tip: If the sauce is not brought to a boil and simmered for 2 minutes it will not thicken correctly and the cornstarch can cause a powdery mouthfeel.
  • Serve immediately with rice.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 602kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 29gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 502mgPotassium: 767mgFiber: 3gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 1095IUVitamin C: 55mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 1mg

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Portrait Photo of Saffron Hodgson cooking on a Camp Stove with a campfire in the background

About Saffron Hodgson

Outdoor cooking has been Saffron’s passion since she was young, often choosing to go camping and cook hearty meals over fire rather than stay inside, watch TV, and eat take-out. Today she is the driving force of Bush Cooking bringing the skills of cooking outdoors to thousands of people.

Learn more about Saffron Hodgson
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