SW Sweet & sour chicken

3 large onions (sf)
750ml Diet Orangeade (f)
(just under half a bottle)
1 stock cube (f)
2 tsp cornflour (2 syns)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (f)
(optional) red food colouring (f)
(optional) peppers or other veg (sf)

3 chicken breasts (f)
1 stock cube (f)
chinese 5-spice seasoning (f)
(optional) soy sauce

3 cups basmati rice (f)
handful of frozen peas (sf)
handful of shredded carrots (sf)


Cut onions into largeish chunks and dry-fry until softened and a little brown.
Add diced other veg if using.
Turn heat to max and add the diet orangeade. Boil furiously until reduced by half or more.

I used 'freeway' diet orangeade - cheap'n'cheerful from Lidl.

Add the crumbled stock cube and mix the cornflour with a little orangeade and mix in thoroughly. Sprinkle in the xanthan gum. The xanthan multiplies the effect of the cornflour - it thickens much more than just cornflour alone. If you don't have xanthan, you can use more cornflour, but add the syns appropriately. My sauce was slightly brown due to the browned onions, but if you prefer add 1/2 capful of red food colouring for a 'genuine' bright orange sauce.

Wash and cook the rice in a rice cooker or a big saucepan, and add a handful of peas and shredded carrot to add texture and jazz up the rice a bit. Cook some extra veg to make it 1/3 sf.

I cooked the chicken sous vide - sealed in a plastic bag with the spices and stock cube - for a few hours at 62.5C, but you could easily dice the chicken, coat in spices and ground stock cube and soy sauce, and dry-fry the outside.
Put the sauce onto low to keep warm (below boiling) and add the chicken. When rice and veg are done, dish up. Add soy sauce and/or extra seasoning to taste.

We split this between 4 and had some left over.

About 1/2 syn per portion, depending on how much cornflour added.