The joy of cooking a dish like this at home is that you can really own it – packed with tasty, fresh veg, and free from piles of added sugar and fat often found in takeaways, this firm favourite is a real winner.

Prep Time

    •    Prep time: 15 minutes
    •    Cook time: 35 minutes
    •    Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

    •    1 x 227 g tin of pineapple in natural juice
    •    1 x 213 g tin of peaches in natural juice
    •    1 tablespoon soy sauce
    •    1 tablespoon fish sauce
    •    2 teaspoons cornflour
    •    2 x 120 g free-range chicken breasts , skin on

    •    Chinese five-spice
    •    1 lime
    •    2 cloves of garlic
    •    1 bunch of asparagus
    •    100 g tenderstem broccoli
    •    1 small onion
    •    2 fresh red chillies
    •    1 red pepper
    •    1 yellow pepper
    •    7 cm piece of ginger
    •    groundnut oil
    •    100 g baby sweetcorn
    •    1 teaspoon runny honey
    •    ½ a bunch of fresh coriander (15g)

Method

1. Drain the juices from the tinned pineapple and peaches into a bowl, add the soy and fish sauces, then whisk in 1 teaspoon of cornflour until smooth. Chop the peaches and pineapple into bite-sized chunks. Put aside.
2. Pull off the chicken skin and lay flat in a cold frying pan on a low heat and leave for a few minutes to render the fat, turning occasionally. Once beautifully golden, remove the crispy skin to a plate, adding a pinch of sea salt and five-spice.
3. Meanwhile, slice the chicken into 3cm chunks and place in a bowl with 1 heaped teaspoon of five-spice, a pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of cornflour and half the lime juice. Peel, finely chop and add 1 clove of garlic, then toss to coat.
4. Next, prep the veg: trim and roughly slice the asparagus and broccoli at an angle leaving the pretty ends intact. Peel and chop the onion into 2.5cm petals, slice the chillies, deseed and roughly chop the peppers, peel and matchstick the ginger, and peel and finely slice the remaining garlic.
5. Place the frying pan back over a high heat, throw in the chicken and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and cooked through, turning halfway, then turn the heat down to low.
6. Meanwhile, place a wok over a high heat, scatter in the pepper and onion, then scald and char for 5 minutes.
7. Add a lug of oil to the wok, followed by the peaches, pineapple, ginger, chilli, garlic, baby corn, asparagus and broccoli, then stir-fry for 3 minutes.
8. Pour the sauce into the veg pan and cook for a few minutes – you want to keep the veg on the edge of raw – add a good splash of boiling water to loosen the sauce, if needed.
9. Drizzle the honey into the chicken pan, turn the heat up to high, and toss to coat until sticky and delicious.
10. Plate up the veg and top with the chicken, then serve with fluffy rice. Clank up the reserved crispy chicken skin and scatter over the top, followed by the chilli and some picked coriander leaves. Serve immediately with lime wedges for squeezing over.

This great family recipe is thanks to Jamie Oliver at http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/tom-daley-s-sweet-sour-chicken/