I made this a couple of weeks ago and it came out great...plus it looked really neat. I would use this same recipe to make the Sweet and Sour Chicken without the fresh pineapple if I were in a rush of time.
Ingredients
2 small pineapples, about 3lbs each
Sweet and Sour Sauce (recipe at the end)
3 tbls salad oil
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 3/4lbs chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut into 1/2" x 2" strips
1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced
1 medium-size green pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
About 4 cups hot cooked rice
Fresh cilantro (optional)
Directions
Cut each pineapple in half lengthwise, cutting through crown. With a curved, serrated knife, such as a grapefruit knife, cut fruit from peel, leaving shells intact; turn shells upside down to drain. Trim away core from fruit, then cut fruit into chunks about 1/2" thick. You'll need 3 cups pineapple chunks; reserve any remaining fruit for another use.
Just before cooking, drain the 3 cups pineapple chunks; reserve juice for another use. Also prepare Sweet and Sour sauce and set aside.
Place wok over high heat; when wok is hot, add 1 tbls of the oil. When oil is hot, add garlic and half the chicken and stir fry until chicken is no longer pink in center; cut to test (about 3 minutes). Remove from wok and set aside. Repeat to cook remaining chicken, adding 1 tbls more oil.
Pour remaining 1 tbls oil into wok. When oil is hot, add onion and bell pepper; stir fry until tender-crisp to bite (about 2 minutes). Return chicken to wok. Stir sauce; add to wok with pineapple chunks. Stir until sauce boils and thickens.
Spoon equal portions of the chicken mixture into each pineapple shell, mounding mixture at 1 end. Spoon about 1 cup of the rice alongside chicken in each shell. Garnish with cilantro, if desired. Pour any extract chicken mixture into a serving bowl; offer at the table. Makes 4 servings.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Stir together 4 tspn cornstarch; 1/4 cup each sugar, wine vinegar, and regular strengh chicken broth; 2tbls minced fresh cilantro or 1 1/2 tspn dry cilantro leaves; 2 tbls catsup; 1 tbls each soy sauce and dry sherry; 1/2 tsp ground ginger; and 1/4 tsp each salt and crushed red pepper.
