ActiFry Challenge:

Sweet and Sour Chicken

(Healthy Takeaway Recipe)

And so the weekend has arrived, that huge sigh of relief for all Monday to Friday workers – no early alarms to be set, two days of relaxation with family and friends, or a spot of D.I.Y maybe, and to get us all into the spirit of things, a blow-out takeaway on Friday evening! In a recent report, (commissioned by Tefal) 2,000 people were asked to share their takeaway habits. It revealed that Brits are consuming well over half a billion takeaways each year! Based on the nation’s favourite takeaway dishes, this suggests we could collectively be feasting on more than 12,00 tonnes of saturated fat from takeaways each year, which is kind of shocking, with Friday night being the most popular night for fat-laden take-way meal.

To help fight this fatty fad, Tefal has launched its ActiFryDay challenge, showing Brits easy ways to swap their Friday night takeaway for healthier alternatives utilising the ActiFry® healthy fryer, and when I was asked if I fancied participating in this challenge, I was happy to oblige, as I am always trying to cut back on fat and calories, as my regular readers will know! I was sent an ActiFry Express XL to play with, so I  could cook a take-away style recipe for #ActiFryDay. In order to “test drive” it, I decided to make some chips in it first, to accompany some oven baked fish for Friday evening; the chips were amazing and were only cooked in 1 tablespoon of oil, and yet they were golden brown and crisp, with a staggering 80% less fat that normal deep-fried chips…….

……They cooked in just over 35 minutes and with no excess oil, smell and mess! Whilst the chips were cooking, I oven baked some fresh hake fillets and in under 45 minutes, we were both enjoying a Friday night “fish supper” with all the taste and half the calories, and at a fraction of the cost too! Since then, I have used my ActiFry almost daily, for all sorts of other recipes, as well as chips too.

But it’s not a recipe for chips that I want to share with you today, but a FABULOUS recipe I created for a classic Chinese takeaway, Sweet and Sour Chicken; my recipe uses only 1 tablespoon of oil and the whole dish is cooked in the ActiFry in stages, which results in a tasty bowl of tender chicken with crunchy veg and a wonderful tangy sweet and sour sauce – after making this recipe, it’s true to say I am now an ActiFry convert, and not just for chips. The meal was cooked and on the table in under half an hour, and unlike the deep-fried Chinese takeaway version, you could taste every ingredient without the cloying taste of fat and mono-sodium glutamate.

And, there is only ONE bowl to wash! (I used ready cooked rice in a pouch for ease) My next recipe creation will be a curry I think, and Tefal have a list of ActiFry suitable recipes on their site here: ActiFry Recipes. Having had my magic machine for about three weeks now, I am extremely impressed with it and how many diverse recipes you can make in it……as a food writer (and food blogger), I get sent lots of products to review, but this is honestly one of the best appliances I have been sent recently, and I will be using it for many more meals in the future. The only downside, is its size – it is a bit of a monster, and an odd shape, but I just sat it on top of my hob, on top of a heat proof mat, for cooking – storage is a bit more difficult and I have it stored in its box in my pantry for now, until I can find permanent kitchen space for it.

I hope you enjoy my recipe below for Quick and Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken, it can be cooked in a wok too, if you don’t have an ActiFry, but I highly recommend getting one of these amazing machines – for speed, ease and healthy family meals. Karen 

Disclaimer: 

I received a Tefal ActiFry Express XL (RRP: £249) for review; all opinions and views are my own and I was not asked to share them here, but I chose to do so as I was impressed with the appliance and it’s performance.

Here’s Jan’s ActirFry Sweet and Sour recipe over at A Glug of Oil!

Tefal ActiFry Recipe – Slightly Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken

Quick & Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken

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Serves	4
Prep time	5 minutes
Cook time	25 minutes
Total time	30 minutes
Allergy	Soy
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish
Misc	Child Friendly, Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party
Region	Chinese
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A quick and easy recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken which is made in an ActiFry in under 30 minutes! (If you want to cook this conventionally, then follow the procedure using a wok and stir-fry it as indicated in each step)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or 1 ActiFry spoon)
• 2 onions, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
• 1 large red pepper, trimmed and de-seeded, cut into chunky pieces
• 1 large green pepper, trimmed and de-seeded, cut into chunky pieces
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunky slices
• 600g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon cornflour (or 1 ActiFry spoon)
• 300mls pineapple juice from tin of pineapple chunks
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or 2 Actifry spoons)
• 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar (or 2 Actifry spoons)
• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup (or 2 ActiFry spoons)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or 1 ActiFry spoon)
• 200g drained pineapple chunks
• black pepper

Note

A quick and easy recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken which is made in an ActiFry in under 30 minutes! (If you want to cook this conventionally, then follow the procedure using a wok and stir-fry it as indicated in each step)

Directions

Step 1	Make the sauce: In a large jug, blend the cornflour with a little pineapple juice until smooth and then add the rest of the sauce ingredients, except the pineapple chunks. Mix well to make a smooth sauce. Season to taste with black pepper and set aside.
Step 2	Put the oil into the ActiFry and then add the onion, garlic, peppers and carrots. Set the machine to cook for 10 minutes. Stir half way through to distribute the vegetables and coat them in oil.
Step 3	Add the chicken and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 4	Add the pineapple chunks to the sauce, then add the sauce and pineapple to the vegetables and chicken - set the timer to cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened, stirring half way through.
Step 5	Serve immediately with steamed rice and soy sauce.