This simple and tasty Sweet and Sour Chicken is just 2 SmartPoints per portion on Weight Watchers Blue, Purple & Freestyle plans. It's 3 SmartPoints per portion on Weight Watchers Green plan.
Please be aware that this post was written prior to Weight Watchers changing to the WW Personal Points Plan! You can discover exactly how many Personal Points this recipe will be for you by clicking on the blue ‘WW Personal Points’ button in the recipe card below.
Serve it with Zero Point Egg Fried Cauliflower Rice and you have yourself a delicious and wonderfully low SmartPoint meal.
So, to be perfectly honest the first time I heard about this recipe I was pretty suspicious about one of the ingredients in it!
The Wellness Coach from my local WW meeting has been talking for sometime about making a chicken dish using a can of diet Fanta!
She raves about it!
But, I've always found the thought of it a bit, I don't know, bleurgh!
However, a few months ago I was craving a Chinese takeaway, didn't have the spare points to order one in, so I relented and tried out a diet Fanta Sweet and Sour Chicken.
And do you know what, despite my reservations, I really liked it.
And it is so much lower in SmartPoints than ordering a Chinese takeaway or opening a bottle of shop brought sweet and sour sauce.
Over the last couple of weeks I have been playing around with recipe trying to make something that is as closely authentic to Chinese takeaway Sweet and Sour Chicken as I can.
I've added tomato puree, soy sauce and vinegar which gives it a richer sweet and sour flavour.
I have also tried it with assorted ingredients including honey and ginger (both of which were nice) but this is my favourite variation.
It reminds me of the Sweet and Sour Chicken dishes that I used to eat in the early '80's when Chinese takeaways were all the rage!
Sweet and Sour Chicken Tips
- Toss the chunks of chicken in a little seasoned cornflour (corn starch) before sauteing them.
- Doing this helps the chicken colour on the outside but best of all it helps prevent the chicken from drying out and becoming tough when it cooks in the sauce later.
- Cut the onions and pepper into biggish chunks for that authentic Chinese food vibe.
- Reduce the sauce right down until it has become thick and syrupy and coats the chicken chunks and peppers and onions.
- Drain and add the pineapple chunks right at the end just so that they warm through.
Serving Sweet and Sour Chicken
Serve it with Zero Point Egg Fried Cauliflower Rice for a fantastically satisfying dish of food.
Other Weight Watchers Fakeaway Recipes.
If, like me, you sometimes crave the sweet taste of takeaway food but don't have the Points available, then you may be interested in these recipes.
These easy Chicken Tenders are my go to fakeaway 'fried chicken' recipe. This Chicken Tikka Masala is great if you're not in a rush (it takes hours to marinate & cook) and these 2 ingredient dough Garlic Naan Breads are fantastic served alongside.
Sweet and Sour Chicken | Weight Watchers
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cut into equal sized chunks
- 1 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
- salt and pepper
- 1 yellow pepper de-seeded & cut into chunks
- 1 red pepper de-seeded & cut into chunks
- 1 onion cut into wedges
- 1 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 can diet fanta orange flavour
- 1 can pineapple chunks in juice small tin / drained
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce I used amoy
- ½ tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
Instructions
- Place the cornflour (cornstarch) into a bowl. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Add the chunks of chicken and toss until the bits of chicken are covered with a thin layer of flour. Set aside.
- Heat half of the oil in a large non stick frying pan / skillet over a medium heat. Add the peppers and onion wedges and stir fry for 3 - 4 minutes.
- Add the remaining oil and add the flour coated chicken and fry for another 5 minutes until the chicken has coloured on all sides.
- Pour in the can of diet Fanta and stir in the soy sauce, white wine vinegar and tomato puree. Mix to combine and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced significantly and has turned thick and syrupy and the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in the pineapple chunks and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes to warm them through.
- Serve with Zero Point Egg Fried Cauliflower Rice for a low point, delicious meal!
Tracie says
What flavor of diet Fanta?
Marianne says
I just used the orange Fanta! Sorry I should have specified that 😀 Kind regards. Marianne
Kristen says
Made this today and came out great! Thanks for the recipe.
Marianne says
I am so pleased that you liked it Kristen 😀
Sharon says
I made it and it was fab very surprised using diet Fanta
Marianne says
So pleased that you enjoyed it Sharon! Marianne x
Gemma says
Wow I’ve just cooked this and it is delicious! Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!
Marianne says
I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it Gemma!
Best of luck with your WW journey.
Kind regards
Marianne x
Gemma says
Wow I’ve just cooked this and it is delicious! Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!
Janis says
By tomato purée do you mean tomato paste??
Marianne says
Hi Janis
Yes I mean tomato paste - sorry, we use the term 'tomato puree' in the UK
Kind regards
Marianne
Paulette Carriker says
Delicious!!!!!Even my husband liked it and he is picky. He said " this is a keeper"!!!!
Paulette Carriker says
Delicious!!!!!Even my husband liked it and he is picky. He said " this is a keeper"!!!!
Simon says
Added small sweetcorn chunks and it was fab thanks!
Sarah says
Have you made it without the Fanta? What could be a substitute?
Marie Edwards says
Hi can you swap the pineapple for something as some of my family doesn't like it
Jessica says
I just made this for dinner tonight. It was amazing! I couldn't find diet orange Fanta, so I used diet Sunkist instead. Thanks for sharing this great recipe. It's definitely a keeper!
Kari Wahlen says
I couldn’t find diet Fanta either and have made it with diet Sunkist and it was ok but then I found diet faygo at my local gas station and it had so much more flavor. Just thought I would share in case you can find that brand 🙂
Stuart Turner says
Oh yes. This is very nice.
The other day I made this for myself as my partner has gone out to visit a sick relative. I don't have any fanta, but I did have some Lilt!
Yes, this works too! It was lovely ??
Cindy says
This receipt turned out great Surprised what a nice taste with the orange soda will definitely make again
Kari Wahlen says
This recipe is one of my absolute favorites and I make it over and over. Quick question, I try to do a lot of meal prepping and wondering if this would freeze well or if it would get runny? I am not much of a cook so not sure lol
Jan R says
I discovered this recipe while on Weight Watchers this winter, I also make it with shrimp, LOVE IT!!! So does my husband
Marianne says
So pleased that both you & your husband like this recipe! Sounds really good with shrimp!
Best of luck on your WW journey.
Kind regards
Marianne