All the popular flavors of the traditional stir-fry are moved into a camp-friendly stew. Sweet and Sour Chicken is traditionally cooked hot and fast leaving crisp vegetables in a light sauce. This stew version creates a more hearty meal with soft vegetables in a rich sauce, making it perfect after a long day outdoors.
This dish is bright and colorful by its very nature. You can mix and match different vegetables, depending on what you like or have on hand. Try different colors of bell peppers, add bok choy, or throw in some water chestnuts.
Served with plain rice, it is a great option when planning two-pot meals to cook over a traditional two-burner gas stove, an extremely popular cooking option while camping. You can prepare the sauce ingredients ahead of time and mix them together, waiting to add the cornstarch at the last minute. You can prepare fresh rice at the campsite, or bring cooked or packaged rice along.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Stew Recipe
Ingredients
Stew
- 3 chicken breasts
- 2 bell peppers
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 ribs celery
- 1 carrot
- 1 small head broccoli
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 cup water
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks
- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch corn flour
To Serve
- 4 servings cooked rice
Equipment
- small bowl
- 2 pots
Directions
Stew
- Dice the chicken into even-sized pieces. Peal and/or seed the bell peppers, onion, celery, and carrot, then dice into pieces the same size as the chicken. Break the broccoli into small florets the same size. Finely mince the garlic.
- Heat the peanut and sesame oils in a pot to medium heat. Swirl the oils to cover the base of the pot then add the diced chicken. Cook, regularly stirring, until the chicken is lightly browned on all sides, about 6 minutes.
- Add the diced bell peppers, onions, celery, carrot, broccoli, and garlic. Cook while regularly string until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.
- Add the water and bring it to a simmer.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Open the can of pineapple and drain the juice into a bowl, then add the pineapple chunks to the simmering chicken and vegetables.
- Add the Shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce, ketchup, and corn starch to the pineapple juice. Whisk with a fork until well combined. Slowly pour into the simmering chicken and vegetable stew, while continuing to stir, until boiling and the sauce thickens.
To Serve
- Cook or reheat the rice according to package directions. Serve the chicken stew over the cooked rice.
Nutritional Information
More Stew Recipes
Dutch Oven One Pot Meals
Corned Beef Stew
Campfire
Campfire Beef Stew
Gas Stove
