Sweet Bell Pepper Chicken

Sweet Bell Pepper Chicken is one of my favourite quick and easy weeknight chicken dinners! Boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat is deep fried and tossed with sauteed bell peppers in a homemade sweet and sour sauce. It cannot get any easier or any tastier! This chicken freezes and reheats well too, so double the recipe if you want leftovers!

If you love chicken and you love sauce, this Sweet Bell Pepper Chicken recipe is for you! Look at how gorgeous that dish looks! It’s a complete meal, and one that you would have had to spend money on, and wait for someone else to make it and deliver to your home – until now. Now, you have this easy recipe that you can go to and make your own version at home. Trust me, it will cost less, taste better, and make you feel good about what you accomplished!

Sweet Bell Pepper Chicken makes me think of Chinese food. I absolutely love it and before we moved outside the city, we used to order it often. Can I share a little truth with you?  We used to spend way too much money on take-out.  It’s true and it’s shameful!  How many times have I expressed my love of cooking?  I have a food blog for crying out loud!  Yet, when we all used to arrive home from work and school on Friday night, ordering in was such a treat!

We didn’t order every night, mind you! But, Friday nights was our night to just relax and put the week behind us. We used to be hooked on Chinese food, but eventually, that changed to pizza. But, ordering in food can be quite expensive, especially when you have a family like ours. Two of us will eat meat, but John.e is a vegetarian, so we basically have to order two of everything. Let me explain.

ORDERING IN TONIGHT? BEEN THERE; DONE THAT!

Scenario 1: Ordering Pizza.  We managed to find a pizza joint that all three of us can agree on.  The pizza is perfect each and every time.  And, they happen to have a regular deal which consists of three pizzas, any size, with a total of 9 combined toppings.  Now, you may be asking why a family of three needs to order three pizzas.  Well, it’s simple: one meat (for me), one with just mushrooms (for McKenna), and one vegetarian with black olives (gross!) for John.e.

Mckenna used to only eat mushrooms and cheese on her pizza.  I can be quite picky too and prefer just pepperoni and bacon. John.e tends to like more toppings – green pepper, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and black olives.  So, three pizzas are necessary. Why not order a half and half pizza?  That would work, but a half and half pizza will not work if I’m the one sharing it with the vegetarians.  Meat cannot come anywhere close to their food.  And, on the flip side, I can barely physically touch olives – black or green – so that leaves that half and half option out.  Do you see the dilemma?

Scenario 2: Ordering Chinese.  There’s this little Chinese restaurant on Parliament Street in Toronto that we love. But, like the pizza dilemma, ordering Chinese is the same thing.  John.e likes his noodles and his tofu dish.  I always want noodles or rice with chicken or pork. And, McKenna likes the seafood noodle dish. We just can’t agree!  So, at the end of the day, when all food-related disagreements have been settled, we usually end up spending over $80 on take out every Friday night – and that was pre-pandemic before prices seem to have doubled everywhere!  That’s one of the reasons it was time to start preparing pizza and Chinese food at home!

PREPARING A CHINESE FOOD FEAST AT HOME

Dear Reader, I have got you covered! Here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen, you can find many recipes to make an Asian-inspired meal at home! Of course, start with this Sweet Bell Pepper Chicken recipe. It’s a classic and everyone loves it! If you need a vegetarian option, I have this Honey Sweet Chili Tofu. It’s a great alternative to chicken. There’s also a Szechuan Tofu and Peppers recipe that is delicious as well.

Sesame Chicken is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten! And so is Lemon Chicken. Those are both very popular Asian-style chicken dishes. But, what about pork and beef? Well, look no further! Try my Moo Shu Pork, or this Peking Pork. In terms of beef, I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t point you in the direction of my 30 Minute Ginger Beef, or my Beijing Beef.

What about sides? Oh, yes, I’ve got that covered too! Start with these Spicy Vegetable Noodles, or this easy Lo Mein. Now, you can make some plain steamed rice, or you can make this Beef Flavoured Rice. It’s my absolute favourite rice dish! Finally, try my Vegetarian Spring Rolls too! See, I told you that you can make a complete meat at home using my recipes!

WHICH CHOICE OF CHICKEN WORKS BEST?

For this Sweet Bell Pepper Chicken recipe, I would highly recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I love working with chicken thighs. No matter what cooking method I throw at them, they always come out tender and moist. I’m also a fan of dark meat. I think it’s more flavourful. So, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the way to go in my opinion.

You can certainly use breast meat for this recipe too. Because breast meat tends to cook faster than dark meat, you’ll want to ensure that the breast meat is cut into slightly larger pieces. The breast meat can dry out rather quickly, especially if you’re planning to immerse it in hot oil. Using a larger piece of breast meat will ensure that it doesn’t become overdone and too dry. There’s nothing worse than dry breast meat!

Unlike chicken breast, you can cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into smaller strips. They don’t have to be perfectly even. My rule of thumb is as follows: fry the thigh meat until golden brown. It’s really that simple.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. 

Main Ingredients:

• Chicken – For best results, use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Lay the chicken flat and cut it into 1-inch pieces.
• Bell Peppers – You will need three average-sized peppers. I used one red, one green, and one yellow pepper.
• Vegetable Oil

Chicken Seasoning:

• Olive Oil
• Seasonings – You will need onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch is the key to a light and crispy batter.

For the Sauce Mixture:

• Water
• Rice Vinegar – You can substitute this with apple cider vinegar if needed.
• Sugar 
• Salt
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic for best results.
• Dried Red Chili Flakes – This is optional, but I do like a little spiciness to balance out the sweetness of this dish.
• Ketchup
• Cornstarch

HOW TO MAKE SWEET BELL PEPPER CHICKEN

Transfer the prepared chicken to a mixing bowl. Measure in all of the chicken seasoning ingredients with the exception of the cornstarch. Mix well. I like wear a food-safe latex glove and really massage the rub ingredients into the chicken. Next, sprinkle in the cornstarch and toss the chicken pieces well until fully coated with the cornstarch. Set the chicken aside.

Next, prepare the sauce. Add all of the ingredients to a saucepan and whisk well to combine. Over medium heat, continue to whisk slowly until the sauce comes to a low boil and thickens. Once thickened, turn off the heat and set aside the sauce.

Next, add enough vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed pot so that there are two inches of oil. Bring the temperature of the oil up to 350 degrees. Once the oil is hot enough, fry the chicken in batches until the chicken turns a golden brown colour. Once each batch of chicken is fried, remove it from the pot and place it onto a paper towel-lined plate.

Next add one tablespoon of olive oil and the bell peppers to a large skillet over medium heat. Stir and cook the peppers until you reach your desired doneness. Some will prefer a crunchy bell pepper, while others prefer the peppers cooked until soft. Once the peppers are cooked, transfer the cooked chicken and the sauce to the skillet and stir well to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, to reheat the chicken and to combine all elements of the recipe. Serve and garnish as desired. Enjoy!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

When it comes to sides to pair well with Sweet Bell Pepper Chicken, it is quite easy to come up with something, because just about everything works well with it. Just be sure to pair it with more muted sides, because it would be a shame to overshadow the flavour of that delicious chicken!

You cannot beat a simple side consisting of steamed white rice and maybe some steamed broccoli too. These two sides pair very well with something as flavourful as this chicken. Plus, the rice is so good with that sweet, buttery sauce!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!